129 

352 P8 

r ^ 

FT MERDE 
GenCol1 

m 2 _ i 



k « J > ’¥ T 

) # ' If J 

j f, ! , .1 

} \ J ft! 







aa 



Class _JLui_S_ 

Book . ...3 T i ?£ 

Copyright^ 0 _2- 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 




































































k 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES 


OF 


BRIDGEWATER 

Oneida County, New York 


With Papers and Anecdotes Relating 
to Pioneers and Events 


J j 

Compiled and Published by 

ELEANOR LOUISE PORTER 

11 

Bridgewater, New York 


OXFORD, NEW YORK 
THB OXFORD TIMES PRINT 
1914 





■ 'BSZ T>K 


Copyright 1914 
by 

Eleanor Louise Porter. 
All Rights Reserved. 


i 

FEB 2 1915 / 


© Cl. A 3 9 3 5 0 6 ^ 





FOREWORD 


In presenting these pages I am conscious that many im¬ 
portant facts may have been omitted and others appearing 
herein may not be complete, but the purpose has been to com¬ 
pile in one book many facts that would be lost if they were not 
preserved in some such form. 

It is acknowledged that less has been written of the town 
of Bridgewater than any other town in the county as there has 
been no effort to collect interesting bits of history identified 
with the lives of the people and institutions growing out of its 
settlement covering more than one hundred years. Historic 
buildings and landmarks have passed away and their history 
with them. Prominent families, whose lives were impressed 
upon the town, are little heard of or known to this generation. 
Each succeeding year has made it more difficult to obtain 
information concerning the remote history of the town and, 
indeed, it is hard to learn much that will give a picture of the 
village of Bridgewater twenty to thirty years previous to the 
Civil War. Other periods seem to have passed and the records 
with them. However, here and there through some family tra¬ 
dition or manuscript, old letters and records, we get a glimpse 
of the past. Through the kind assistance of the friends of 
Bridgewater this book has been made possible and with grate¬ 
ful appreciation I acknowledge their help and consideration in 
making possible the preservation of these stories and historical 
facts. 

Again I wish to emphasize that this volume must leave out 
many interesting facts and reminiscences of historical value 
because they could not be gathered in time to incorporate here¬ 
in. It has seemed wise to publish what has already been 
gathered while there is an awakened interest in the matter and 
at a later period to publish an additional volume. I have the 
opportunity to have this work printed now at a cost that will 
not exceed the sale of a reasonable number of books and which 
if done under other conditions, where I could not personally 
supervise it, the cost would be prohibitive. But the greater 
reason for doing it now is that I have been engaged for years 


gathering the material and some good friends who have kindly 
given me data have passed away, and others have had little 
expectation of seeing a work of this kind realized. Then, too, 
the appearance of the first volume will do much to bring out 
other stories and historical facts. As it is my purpose to con¬ 
tinue the work for an additional volume I solicit and will wel¬ 
come any information and help from the friends of Bridge- 
water. While this work is acknowledged incomplete, it does, 
however, present glimpse of Bridgewater from the time of 
settlement until now. 


Eleanor Louise Porter. 


HISTORICAL. SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


5 


EARLY SETTLEMENT 


Time rolls his ceaseless course. The race of yore 
Who danced our infancy upon their knee, 

And told our marvelling boyhood legends store 
Of their strange ventures happed by land or sea, 

How they are blotted from the things that be! 

How few, all weak and withered of their force, 

Wait on the verge of dark eternity, 

Like stranded wrecks, the tide returning hoarse, 

To sweep them from our sight! Time rolls his ceaseless course. 

—“Lady of the Lake.” 

It is a keen delight, when treading the familiar streets of 
one’s native town and roaming the adjacent hills and woods, to 
paint an imaginary picture of primeval days—the long silent 
days when Nature reigned supreme and the wind led the great 
orchestral choirs; when the bird notes were the symphonies of 
the endless forest—the days when the eternal sunshine searched 
through the interlacing tree tops, filtering through the branches 
to make the lacework on the spaces below; when the moon’s soft 
beams flooded the landscape with its golden glow, sprinkling 
the heaven-reared pines with the glory of the night, and the 
stars caroled their evening songs of glodness, declaring the 
glory of the heavens in praise to their Creator. 

Such was the home of the Red Man, and, whether his pierc¬ 
ing eye scanned these scenes so familiar to us, or whether his 
stealthy tread broke the silence of our forests we know very 
little, but as time went on these haunts were invaded by the 
pioneers who braved the hardships and toils of establishing a 
home in a wilderness and it is to these brave settlers, who cut 
and hewed their way into the heart of the forest, that we owe 
the foundation of our early settlement and civilization. 

GEOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL 

The town of Bridgewater is located in the southeastern 
part of Oneida county and lies in a valley which traverses it 
from north to south and the town extends on the elevations of 
the valley on the east and west. This section was formerly 
known as Bridgewater Flats. The northern section of the flat 


6 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


is about one mile wide and this decreases gradually to the 
south, where it diminishes to half a mile in width. The north¬ 
ern part is somewhat stony and the southern and central por¬ 
tions contain a sandy soil. It is a remarkably fertile section 
and the farms are extensively cultivated. It is reported that 
when the state geologist visited this town several years ago he 
gave the opinion that there was no rock formation within 1000 
feet of the surface and this has been partially proven in the 
fact that no rocks have been discovered in the deepest wells. 
One of the head streams of the Unadilla River rises in Paris 
and flows south through the town. Another branch rises in 
the northwestern part of the town and empties into the main 
stream near the south bounds of the town. Another small 
branch is formed from springs, and crosses two of the streets 
in the village. The head waters of the Unadilla are pure and 
are a favorite home of the speckled trout. Lime stone was 
formerly found in the northern part of the town where original¬ 
ly there was a quarry, which extended over three or four 
hundred acres. In this same section, but higher than the lime¬ 
stone strata, a small coal mine was discovered on the farm be¬ 
longing to Peleg Babcock. It was merely a thin vein and 
nothing developed from it. According to geologists of that 
time the vein was considered out of place, “For, although 
vastly higher than the coal region in Pennsylvania, it is too 
low for coal in this section. In other words the dip of the coal 
beds in that state is such that it would rise much above any sec¬ 
tion in this county. In the same formation with this stray 
vein of coal iron pyrites are found, which are quite inflam¬ 
mable and burn like wood.” The formation of the soil on the 
east and west sides of the valley is quite dissimilar. A little 
south of the limestone strata in the northern part of the town 
the side hills contain slate. Opposite this, on the west side of 
the valley, is slab. The soil is gravelly loam on the east hill, 
and clay appears on the west. 

THE PIONEERS. 

In March, 1789, two cousins, Jesse and Joel Ives, left their 
home in Connecticut and set out to make a new home in the 
wilderness. The country was practically a forest and the way 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


7 


was hard and devious, but the goal was ever ahead and nothing 
daunted the hardy pioneers in search of a new home. On and 
on they came, with their scanty provisions, stopping now and 
then to hew their way through the forest; compelled to halt at 
times for rest and refreshment, but eagerly proceeding on their 
way, at last arriving on the summit of the hill on the south-west 
that overlooks our little village. The snow was still on the 
ground and a rude shack was improvised for shelter. They 
decided to locate here and a suitable place was selected, twelve 
acres were cleared and a log house was erected. About two 
lears later Abner Ives, a younger brother of Jesse Ives, brought 
his family to this clearing and joined their fortunes with the 
others in the new land. (References to the early settlers and 
their descendants will be found on other pages of this vol¬ 
ume.) 

The trip was made from Connecticut on ox-sleds, but it is 
hard for the people of this generation to adequately picture in 
the imagination the wanderers on their journey, threading 
their way through the primeval forest, bringing all their earthly 
possessions with them. Their hearts were full of hope and 
courage. Something of the grim courage of the adven¬ 
turous life in subduing the wilderness; the sense of achieve¬ 
ment in making way for civilization; the intimate touch 
with nature in the hardships of their tasks gave them returns 
in happiness that has satisfied the pioneers of all ages. These 
people loved the wilds and were happy in their primitive 
pursuits. 

In 1791 the original log house of Joel and Jesse Ives gave 
way to a more commodious frame dwelling. A frame barn was 
also erected. The kitchen of this frame house built by Jesse 
Ives was later remodelled and formed the front of a newer 
house which was occupied by his daughter, Miss Charlotte Ives, 
whose death occurred December 23,1891. It was in the spring 
of 1789 that Thomas Brown built a log house on the present 
site of Bridgewater village and was the first settler there. A 
year previous, Joseph Farwell came to these scenes and made a 
clearing in the locality of the W. J. Scott and Edward McDer¬ 
mott farms. He was accompanied by Ephraim Waldo and they 
came from Mansfield, Conn., by way of Paris Hill and followed 


8 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


a blazed trail. The transportation facilities were two yokes 
of oxen and an ox sled. Upon their arrival they erected a 
crude shack from boughs and stakes with sidings of blankets, 
which constituted their home until summer time. Two of their 
number moved into more comfortable dwellings, while the 
others remained a year longer. Farwell’s house was made of 
Jogs and this was his home until three years later when he 
erected a frame building. 

The name of Farwell ’s Hill was undoubtedly lost sight 
of following the transfer of the settlement to the present vil¬ 
lage; but historically it is used to identify the place as one of 
the ancient landmarks. This Farwell’s Hill settlement was 
located at the line of Madison and Oneida counties, half a mile 
south of the present village and consisted of a post-office, two 
stores, Masonic lodge, an ashery and a number of dwellings. 
The settlement thrived for a number of years until the comple¬ 
tion of the Cherry Valley turnpike, which passed north of the 
hill. The business interests were transferred to the line of this 
new highway, where a new settlement sprang up and Farwell’s 
Hill declined and passed into history. 

OTHER SETTLERS 

Stewart Bennett, a blacksmith, located on the well-known 
Kirkland farm, which he sold to Stephen Kirkland, who came 
from Saybrook, Connecticut, in July, 1816. This farm was 
located north of Bridgewater on what is known as the Goose- 
ville road. He transformed the house into a new building. 
Rev. Samuel Kirkland, the founder of Hamilton College, and a 
noted Indian missionary, was a relative of this family. The 
dwelling was a small frame house and was long occupied by the 
two brothers, Asa P. and Nathaniel Kirkland. Garrett Scott, 
father of the late Mrs. Helen Williams, came to Bridgewater 
from Madison county, where he was born in 1799. His father 
and grandfather, Amos Scott, Sr. and Jr., were among the 
earlier settlers of that county. 

Frederick Peirce, of Mansfield, Conn., came to Bridge- 
water in 1796 from Brookline, Vt., with a family named Gurley, 
with whom he lived for several years. Mr. Gurley settled on 
the place north of Bridgewater village, which was later owned 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


9 


by Cornelius Conklin, and now known as the John Atkinson 
farm. Most of the early roads in town were laid out by 
Frederick Peirce. His son, Nekemiah N. Peirce, was born in 
this town in 1818. He was several times supervisor of the 
town and in 1849 represented his district in Assembly. In 
1843 he was appointed to the position of Colonel in the New 
York State militia, and by that title was generally known. 


BRIDGEWATER—1830-1835 

Relating to the early history of Bridgewater, North Bridgewater 
and Babcock Hill, there are preserved in the records of the late Gould 
H. Parkhurst of North Bridgewater several sketches covering the early 
life of these sections and containing the principal actors of the differ¬ 
ent periods of growth. These articles were written for local papers 
about 1883-1885 and give a graphic account of the business and local 
history of the time. They are so splendidly prepared that the sketches 
are given in full in order to preserve his style and work and to give 
credit to a man who gave his time and attention to saving records of 
history for future generations. The different headings will explain 
the dates when articles were written and the periods which they 
covered. 

Bridgewater was then a busy and lively little business in¬ 
land town, with several stage lines running at the four points 
of the compass, with heavy four-horse coaches, and whose pro¬ 
prietors were such as John Butterfield, Jabez DeWolf, Gideon 
Myers and others. Those heavy coaches were generally loaded 
to their fullest capacity with passengers, carrying the mail arid 
running night and day. It was a nightly experience to hear the 
drivers tooting their stage horns to arouse hotel keepers and 
postmasters to be on hand and ready for duty at midnight 
hours. The most prominent merchants then in trade were 
Isaac Woodworth, on the corner where C. 0. Biederman’s 
harness, trunk and jewelry store is now conducted; Col. Curry 
in general merchandise and the manufacture of boots and shoes 
in the place where W. C. Marsh is now in trade; Rhodes and 
Robbins in the brick store on the corner where Shean’s hotel is; 
James Haight’s hat shop a little south of the Universalist 
church and hat store, which was burned down on the site of 
Dr. Whitford’s residence about 1835 or 1836; Theo. Page was 
then the proprietor of the Hibbard House and it was known as 



10 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


the Stage House. The hotel on the opposite corner was then 
kept by one Greenwood, but was afterward burned down, and a 
portion of the old academy moved there and converted into the 
hotel recently kept by Frank Shean. Major Absalom Groves 
lived where the family of the late Samuel Langworthy now re¬ 
sides and carried on the tanning business where Zenas Eldred’s 
cheese factory is, and run an ashery a little north of the resi¬ 
dence of Mrs. Moses. Esq. Lorain Blackman was engaged in 
the distilling business a few rods south of James Taft’s 
Jerod Mathers conducted a blacksmith shop now used as a 
dwelling just south of Woodworth’s wagon shop. The old 
academy stood on the unoccupied space of ground a little east 
of Dr. Whitford’s residence and the lower portion was occupied 
by Delos DeWolf till about 1844, when he erected the store now 
occupied by George Greenman. Dr. John F. Trowbridge then 
resided where W. C. Marsh is and was at the time a very promi¬ 
nent practicing physician and surgeon, was twice elected to 
the Assembly, in 1831 and 1840. Dr. Hall, who came earlier, 
settled at the Center, practiced his profession, farmed it, and 
was quite a politician and one of the main pillars in the church 
then located on the corner of W. H. Briggs’ lot. This church 
was the largest in structure of any house in town or near here; 
the society, too, was very large and about 1834 it divided, one poL 
tion going to Cassville and the other to the village, where each 
built a church. Judge Ruger and Willard Crafts then expound¬ 
ed the law and Ezra Brown and John Southworth administered 
justice to the people. Frederick Peirce, who resided at North 
Bridgewater, was then the only surveyor in town or vicinity 
and performed all the business in that line in town. He sur¬ 
veyed every public highway then in town and made a record, 
which can be found and seen at the town clerk’s office. Esq. 
Levi Carpenter, who then resided at the Center, but who re¬ 
moved to the village about 1833, was a very prominent and suc¬ 
cessful pettifogger in justice courts, was commissioner of deeds 
for many years, and held the office of town clerk till age and in¬ 
firmity compelled him to retire from active and public life. 
John T. Clark was another of Bridgewater’s noted public men, 
having been elected State Engineer in 1853. Later back, Delos 
DeWolf was elected County Clerk (1843), appointed commis- 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


11 


sioner for the new capitol at Albany in 1871, elected presiden¬ 
tial elector in 1868. William C. Ruger, son of John Ruger, was 
elected to the office of chief judge of the court of appeals in 1882. 
N. N. Peirce, whose former residence was at North Bridge- 
water, but has resided in the village for several years past, was 
elected to the assembly in 1849 and served in the seventy-second 
session, Hamilton Fish then being Governor, and Amos K. 
Hadley, speaker. As to the literary young men, probably no 
town in the county of Oneida, according to its number of in¬ 
habitants, has graduated as many students in old Hamilton 
College, or turned out in the various departments as many 
talented young men, as Bridgewater. 

NOTE —Present owners and occupants of places mentioned in the above 
sketch: C. O. Biederman’s store, L. H. Belz barber shop; W. C. Marsh store, 
building occupied by W. H. Rowland and burned in September, 1913; Shean’s 
hotel, Cottage Hotel; Zenas Eldred cheese factory, livery stables; Woodworth’s 
wagon shop, present site of R. J. Wilkinson’s residence; George Greenman’s 
store, Rising Brothers. 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


13 


HISTORIC SKETCH 


The following letter, containing the early history of Bridgewater, 
was written to William Southworth and read by him at the Centennial 
of the town on the 4th of July, 1889. Mr. Southworth was a native of 
Bridgewater and was born September 22, 1823, the son of John and 
Harriet Southworth. He was educated in the schools in Bridgewater 
and Clinton and in later years served as Supervisor for several terms. 

On other pages will be found his history of the old Congregational 
church at the Center. Mr. Southworth died in Bridgewater February 
26th, 1899. 

Janesville, Wis., 
Dec. 8, 1888. 

Friend Southworth :— 

In looking over the papers of my deceased father I found 
the enclosed letters, which were written by Seth Brown, of 
Beloit. Mr. Brown, like my father, was a former resident of 
Bridgewater, and was the elder by about twenty years. On his 
frequent and always welcome visits at my father’s, he delighted 
in calling from the stores of a most retentive memory incidents 
relating to men and events in the early history of old Bridge- 
water. One day, when both were a little mellow, father asked 
him to pen his recollections of that town. A year later the 
first of these papers were received. I send them to you, hoping 
to incite you to gather from living lips details which may soon 
exist only as tradition. 

Yours sincerely, 
Maximus Hoaxer. 

The demise at Bridgewater of my early friend, Ephraim 
Waldo, at the age of 89 years forcibly admonishes me that if I 
would comply with your request for reminiscences of Bridge- 
water, I must not delay, as my summons hence may issue soon. 

In the office of the probate judge of Middlesex Co., Conn., 
in the 10th year of American independence, was filed an inden¬ 
ture binding Seth, son of Steadfast Brown, deceased, late a 
corporal in Company E, 4th Regiment of the Connecticut line, 
to Alexander Tackles of said county. Said Seth Brown to 
receive proper fool and clothing, to be taught reading, writing, 
and arithmetic, to receive a copy of God’s word, a new suit of 


14 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


clothes and 5 pounds lawful money of Connecticut at the age of 
21 years. In November, 1795, Mr. Tackles removed his goods 
and chattels, of which Seth was a part, to the Whitestown 
county. From Schenectady we poled up the Mohawk in a 
bateau. November 17th we arrived at the Little Falls. A 
canal, one mile long, half of it through solid rock with a lift of 
44 feet by five locks, was opened for boats that day. Tuesday 
and Wednesday, November 17th and 18th, 116 boats were locked 
through. Tuesday night we tied up at German Flats, now the 
village of Herkimer, 13 miles below Fort Schuyler, now Utica. 
The town was settled in 1722 by German Palatines. In 1757 
five hundred French Canadians and Indians, in command of 
Col. Bellestre, destroyed the settlement. They came by the 
way of Oswego river, Oneida Lake, Fish Creek, Fort Bull (de¬ 
stroyed in 1756) down the Mohawk, crossing the river a little 
above the village. Oneida Indians warned the Palatines of 
coming danger, fifteen days before the attack, again a week 
later, and a third time when the allies were at Fort Stanwix. 
The facetious citizens heeded not the warning. On the 12th of 
November the storm burst on the devoted place. About forty 
persons were killed. More than one hundred were taken 
prisoner. Sixty houses and many barns were burned. Several 
hundred each of horses, horned cattle, sheep, and swine were 
taken or destroyed. On the south bank of the Mohawk in Fort 
Kayuri were 350 men in garrison, yet the French and Indians, 
after remaining three days, retired with three or four wounded, 
none killed. April following, the allies attacked the place, 
killing and wounding thirty and losing fifteen of their party. 
September, 1778, three Tories and 115 Indians under Theyen- 
danegea (Joseph Brandt), burned 63 houses, 57 barns, killed or 
captured 235 horses, 320 horned cattle, of which 93 were oxen. 
Two lives were lost. You may think this is digression, but age 
is garrulous and dwells much in the past. 

There was no turnpike in those days, neither railroad nor 
canal. The route to Bridgewater was like a boy’s jacket—a 
roundabout. Friday evening, tired but happy, we stopped at a 
log tavern kept by Ezra Parker, near the old house now owned 
by Mrs. Alexander Brown, about a mile south of Cassville. 
Here we made the acquaintance of one of the denizens, ‘ * a fat 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


15 


and greasy citizen.” He entertained us hugely at supper, not 
where he ate, but where he was eaten—his name was 1 i Bruin.” 
Tuesday evening we worshipped our “Penates” in a wee ]og 
cabin with a roof of bark, a chimney of clay, and a floor laid by 
Dame Nature, and built on land purchased of Elisha and Roger 
W. Steele. It was the west end of the farm now owned by 

H. W. Hill. Subsequently Mr. Tackles sold to Abner Ives and 
Eldred Peck, and purchased on the flat, selling a few years 
later to Obadiah Thorne and Frederick Pierce. In December, 
Joel Blair bought of the Steele brothers the farm to the west of 
ours, now owned by Michael Walsh. The Steele brothers 
owned the farm north of ours, now owned by John Jennings. 
They had bought the “betterments” of John Thompson and 
Tim White. Elisha Steele left the town in 1806, but Roger W. 
retained the farm till his death in 1828. He was a Republican 
of the Jeffersonian stamp and a liberal in religious belief. Ho 
left two sons and daughters. His eldest son, Hon. Albert 
Steele, married Alice, daughter of Levi Love. His life was 
spent in Bridgewater. He died at the Center, where his vener 
able widow still lives. Robert Love owned the farm west of tho 
Steele’s, now owned by Mrs. John Clark. North of the Steele 
and Love farms, Capt. Zimri Howland leased 250 acres of John 

I. Morgan and John Delancey. Part of this lease he sold to 
Gresham Blackman and part, extending to the Unadilla, to 
Nathan Waldo. This is now owned by C. Beals, Mrs. Sarah 
Robinson and O. J. Clark. Zenas Gurley bought the farm east 
of the Steele’s, now owned by C. Conklin. He came in 1776 
and with him came Frederick Peirce, father of Hon. N. N. 
Peirce. Mr. Gurley died of the epidemic in 1810, leaving a 
widow and three children. One son, Henry, died in 1838; 
Harvey became a Mormon; Lavinia Morris, the daughter, lives 
in Chicago. Her daughter, Mrs. Thomas Avery, a most estim¬ 
able and refined Christian lady, on her recovery from typhoid 
fever, became a victim of melancholia, and leaving her home 
came to Niagara and cast herself into the river at the verge of 
the falls. She left a letter to her husband, saying that the 
desire to save him and her family from the care of her alone 
prompted her action. 

As with closed eyes and folded arms I sit in my easy chair 


16 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


and “turn from all that is to what has been” and with mental 
vision pierce the veil of time the memory of the almost forgotten 
past, with its painfully pleasing and pleasingly painful pictures 
comes back to me and in fancy I see many of the busy actors of 
seventy years ago. The hardy pioneers in their homespun suits 
of linsey-wolsey or tow cloth as they slashed and burned the 
primeval forests. I see, too, the blackened stumps dotting the 
fields of corn, wheat, or oats. First, as is fitting, I recall Major 
Joseph Farwell, who opened the first farm on FarwelPs Hill in 
1789. With him came Ephraim and Nathan Waldo. The first 
house was framed of four crotches, roofed with split basswood, 
shingled with hemlock boughs, and clapboarded with blankets. 
In this improvised castle, just large enough to swing the prover¬ 
bial cat, three families resided till midsummer. Then Farwell 
and Nathan Waldo moved into log houses. In 1790 Farwell 
built a sawmill on land now owned by W. J. Scott. In 1792 
E. Waldo built a store and blacksmith shop on the hill. Mr. 
Thomas in the same year built a grist mill. Jerry Scott was 
the first miller. He married Nancy Wilson, aged 14 years. 
Her father lived on the knoll back of the house where James 
Taft now resides. She was the mother of ten children. Their 
average avoirdupois was a little less than our esteemed fellow 
citizen, W. S. Scott, who is one of them. E. Waldo built a 
house near where the South church now stands. In 1800 he sold 
to John Moon and moved to the Center. He was last seen at 
the battle of Queenstown Heights, October, 1872, at the foot of 
the cliffs. Whether he was killed or drowned in crossing to 
Lewistown is not known. Mr. Moon resided at the Waldo 
farm till his death in 1828 at the ripe age of 91 years. In 1834 
the house was removed to make room for the church. John 
Moon had five sons, John, Henry, Peter, Jacob, and Philip. 
Jack and Phil were twins and had a fondness for corn juice and 
New England rum and from November till October the good 
people of Bridgewater were favored with at least three “full 
moons” each month, and not infrequently two in a single even¬ 
ing. Henry, Peter, and Philip died in Bridgewater at a good 
old age. 

Deacon Asahel Hunt came to Bridgewater early in the 90’s. 
In the winter of ’94 he went to Coventry, Conn., returning in 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


17 


the spring with a helpmate. He owned the farm where T. 
Brown now resides. 

March 5th, 1795, the town of Sangersfield was formed from 
Paris. It was named for Jedediah Sanger, who donated a 
barrel of rum for the honor. March 24th, 1797, Bridgewater* 
was formed for the one chosen by the inhabitants by the mem¬ 
ber having charge of the bill, a native of Bridgewater, Mass. 
It is a misnomer, as there was, is not, and probably never will 
be, a decent bridge in the town. 

On the 4th of April, 1797, when the town had arrived at the 
mature age of eleven days, the first town meeting was held at 
the tavern of Col. Thomas Converse. Thomas Brown, Esq., 
who, for two years, had been town clerk of Sangerfield, was 
clerk of the meeting. James Kuine presided in all the dignity 
of cocked hat, knee breeches, silver buckles, and dubbed queue. 
Clerk Thomas Brown certified the election of Thomas Brown as 
supervisor. 

I was now 21 years of age, could read, write, and cipher, 
had my freedom, suit and Bible, but could not vote. .A taxpayer 
might vote, a freeholder might hold office; I was neither. Of 
the freeholders who voted at this election the following have 
been supervisors: Thomas Brown, ’97; James Kuine, ’98, ’99, 
1800; Job Taylor, 1801 and ’02; Asher Flint, 1803; Daniel 
Binge, 1807, ’08, ’09, ’10, ’ll, T2, ’13; Peabody Fitch, super¬ 
visor in 1804, ’05, ’06, came to Bridgewater in 1800, purchasing 
the farm now owned by Deacon Howland. Taxpayers have 
ever been chronic grumblers since the day when the decree went 
out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed, 
unless the impost is sugar coated and labeled ‘ 4 protection. ’ r 
Then mother’s castor oil formula applies, 4 4 close your eves,, 
open your mouth, taken it down and call it good.” 

In 1796 there were 97 taxpayers in Bridgewater, real valua¬ 
tion, $1313.75; personal valuation, $3575.75 (total, $4889.50) 4 
tax, $118.18, average to taxpayer, $1.22. Ezra Parker, the land¬ 
lord of the log hotel, on a valuation of $215 paid $5.18; Joe- 
Loomis and Amasa Herrick each paid 19 cents, being the* 
amount of tax on two cows of first and second quality. 

During the eight years of pupilage the annual increase of' 
population exceeded 125. They came from Massachusetts*. 


18 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


Rhode Island, and most of all from Connecticut, the land of 
steady habits, wooden nutmegs, and New England rum. They 
were young, few having seen thirty years. Many came with 
strong hearts, well trained muscles, a pack on their back and in 
their pockets the wherewith to buy a woodman *s outfit—an axe. 
I venture to say that no town in the Whitestown country (the 
western half of New York) was settled by a braver, more enter¬ 
prising or a more virtuous people than Bridgewater. Hence¬ 
forth the increase in population was to be more slow, the lands 
were mostly in the hands of citizens, either by deed or perman¬ 
ent leases. Each week the openings were broadened; each year 
an increased amount of whiskey, wheat, and potash were sent 
to market. Carriages and buggies were not a prime necessity 
in those days. Most of the roads were mere winding paths 
among stumps, which were more numerous than milestones. 
Men on horseback with wives, sweethearts, or sacks of grain 
en croupe, were to be met at all hours. It was said of David 
Converse, Sr., who was noted for absence of mind, that, intend¬ 
ing to take a grist to mill, he strode his horse and rode to mill 
with, as he supposed, the grist behind, as in truth it was—at his 
home. On one occasion, being thirsty, he tied his horse to a 
well sweep opposite the house of Abe Monroe and proceeded 
to lower the old oaken bucket into the well—he couldn’t raise 
the horse. 

Among the earliest settlers were Jesse, Joel, and Abner 
Ives. Jesse bought the farm on which his daughter now re¬ 
sides. In 1810 he moved to Whitestown, returning to Bridge- 
water in 1832. He voted for Abe Lincoln in 1860, dying a few 
days later. 

Peter Pickett Truman and Solomon Blackman had farms 
north of the Steele brothers. In 1793 Abram Oaks bought a 
large track of land on Hardscrabble, building the house now 
owned by the Burton boys. Two hundred acres of the eastern 
portion he sold to Levi Carpenter and Eldred Peck. Super¬ 
visor Williams now owns a part of this. Capt. Hubbard settled 
the Pat Ryan farm. Elnathan Andrews bought of William 
Coxe the John Hook farm. Joe Loomis, Jr. owned the J. E. 
Jones place. 

In 1798 the First Congregational church was organized by 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


19 


Rev. Eliphalet Steele, of Paris. Meetings liad been held in 
school houses and dwelling houses from the first settlement of 
the town. Daniel Converse and others read sermons. At the 
organization thirteen signed the covenant, seven males and six 
females. In less than five years there were sixty communi¬ 
cants. As natives of New England they felt there was a void 
that the meeting house alone could fill. In 1802 active measures 
were taken to fill the void. People of Paris, Plainfield, and 
Brookfield, co-operated. Sectarian feeling did not seal the 
pockets. In 1803 a church had been so far completed that it was 
opened for divine worship. The pastor at this time was Rev. 
James Southworth. A native of Montgomery Co., born in 1770, 
he commenced preaching in Warrensburg, that county, at the 
age of 21 years. In 1793 he removed to Burlington, Otsego 
county, preaching for four years in the Baptist church. In 
1797 he preached to his first congregation in Rome. He came 
to Bridgewater in 1802, preaching there for 16 years and there 
lie died in 1826. His successors in the pastorate were Rev’s. 
Alpheus Miller, Hiram Kellog, who, for many years was identi¬ 
fied with the schools in Clinton; Johnson Baldwin, and R. M. 
Davis. During Mr. Miller’s pastorate Rev. S. W. Brace con¬ 
ducted revival services. He was an eloquent and graceful 
speaker and a haughty, overbearing man. After the retirement 
of Mr. Davis the society divided and in 1834 a new church was 
built in Bridgewater village. The next year a church was 
erected in Cassville. The division caused a bitter feeling in 
those who lived near the old meeting house. Dr. L. Hull sold 
out and left. The Benhams followed. The Halls would not 
contribute toward erecting the new house. Fred Pierce ceased 
to attend the church. When labored with, he declared he had 
not left the church, but the church him. The church was obsti¬ 
nate and he was cut off. In 1837, at the venerable age of 34 
years, the old meeting house was demolished. In the winter of 
1833-34, Stephen R. Smith, then of Clinton, and father of the 
Liberal Institute (later of Albany), preached in the new school 
house, where Mrs. Moses now resides. He was a clear, cogent, 
and eloquent speaker, and in one sermon the feeling of protest 
against the dogmas of Calvinism was* crystallized. 

A church, founded on the tenets of Hosea Ballou, was born, 


50 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


.and in 1834 tlie South Church was erected. L. C. Brown, 
Dolphus Skinner, Edward Wooley, and T. J. Smith, and others 
liave filled its pulpit. 

In 1805 the Congregational church bought of John Hopkins 
a grist mill and two acres of ground, west of Cassville, for $850. 
The toll was applied to the support of the pastor. Hence, I 
suppose that church stock, like railroad stocks, may be watered. 

On the 12th of February, 1806, pursuant to notice, a meet¬ 
ing was held at the house of David Converse, Jr., where W. H. 
Briggs now resides, to organize a farmers’ library, Rev. James 
Southworth presiding. By unanimous vote John Rhodes, 
James Southworth, P. Fitch, John Mott, and Laurens Hull were 
chosen trustees. Carefully selected books were procured. 

These were not the days of steam and electricity, the mail 
Jid not fly over roads of iron, the electric fluid had not been 
taught to speed the thoughts of men on lines of steel, Robert 
Hoe had not invented the cylinder press, weekly papers from 
New York and the U. Patriot supplied them with news of the 
• day. But English classics from that library—Pope, Addison, 
Steele, Young, Blair, Jonson, Bacon, Goldsmith, Gibbons, Plu¬ 
tarch’s Lives, Discoveries in the Pacific by Magellen, Cook, By¬ 
ron, Boygamville, and Portlock—read at the fireside, gave a 
higher tone of thought to the earlier citizens of Bridgewater 
than is possessed by the average community today. They had 
been taught in the common schools of Connecticut and prized 
them. While the state neglected its duty they, from their limit¬ 
ed means, founded and supported schools in which the elements 
-of an education could be obtained. Domini Avery, who taught a 
school near A. Monroe’s more than 90 years ago, at the age of 
80 had a head as white as mine at nearly 97. William Rider 
taught the same school in 1500-1510 and had a total attendance 
of 3,700 days. Mr. Everett, at the Center, in 1810 had an at¬ 
tendance of 5,830 days. He received from a rate bill, $42. 
State appropriations were small, so also was the school house. 
Like the old lady under the broom, the children needed elbow 
room. This was attained by a portion standing at their studies. 
In 1812 the towns of the state were districted. Gideon Hawley, 
in January, 1813, was first state superintendent. He held the 
voffice eight years. 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


21 


Bridgewater Academy was incorporated by the legislature 
in 1826 and by the Regents in 1828. It was built by Tardius 
Denslow, and assessed in 1827, $1,000, tax, $2.64. Mr. James 
Deal, afterward a missionary of the American Board of Foreign 
Missionaries and Freelove, daughter of James Southworth, 
were early teachers. The academy stood on the premises now 
owned by H. P. Whitford, M.| D. For a time it flourished, but 
in a few years it lost its character and in 1838 ceased to exist. 

In 1826 the Baptist church was organized with sixteen 
members. Its first pastor was Rev. A. Smith and in nine years 
its membership was increased to sixty. Jonathan P. Simmons 
succeeded him. During his pastorate the celebrated revivalist, 
Jacob Knapp, recruited the church by contract. In 1836 it had 
114 members. In 1840 the church was moved from the hill to 
the east part of the village. Its candle shone brightly, but 
bright flames consume the substance. It has burned low, it 
flickers in the socket. Will it be permitted to expire? 

In the early twenties the Friends built a meeting house at 
North Bridgewater. The doctrines of heresies of Elias Hicks 
split the meeting and the society ceased to exist. John Mott 
and Obadiah Williams, two of the members, were great-great- 
grandsires of Master Harry Marsh. 

John Benliam bought of John Collins and A. Monroe the 
Benham flats, 300 acres or more. This he deeded his son, 
James, for one peppercorn, and, becoming without support, be¬ 
came entitled to a United States 1 pension! John Rhodes rode 
on horseback to New York and obtained a deed of some hundred 
acres south of the Benham place and displaced a squatter who 
had no title. James Kinney bought of J. Benham. Asa, 
Oliver, and Martin Babcock were early settlers. Asa owned 
the farm in Paris from which George Chapman recently depart¬ 
ed; Martin, the farm on which his son, C. H., now resides, 
Oliver, the Col. Peirce farm. Anthony Rhodes owned the 
Squire Rhodes farm; Ebenezer Parker owned the D. Worden 
farm, Peter Crandall, father of P. B. Crandall, owned the 
Gaughan farm, Peleg Brown owned the Alva Penny farm, 
Eldad Corbett owned the J. Terry farm. Den and Zerah 
Brown owned the Livermore place. Jedot Morgan bought of 
Amos Herrick the Dennis Shields ’ farm. South of this John 


22 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


and Isaac Mitchell, John Crowell, Samuel and Elias Jones 
owned. Ezra Parker came to town but a few days, if any, after 
Major Farwell. 

James Kinney, E. Waldo, and Thomas Converse were the first 
justices appointed in 1798. Thomas Converse, the first grand 
juror, was fined $5 for non-attendance. Aaron Morse was 
member of assembly in 1803. Others were Levi Carpenter, Jr., 
L. Hull, J. Huger, Samuel Woodworth, J. T. Trowbridge, N. N. 
Pierce, Peleg B. Babcock, A. Penny, Dewitt C. Little, John (for 
five years speaker) was born in the house where the tin shop 
now stands. Chief Justice Huger first saw light in the house 
now owned by James 0. Brown. Justice of the Supreme Court 
Rhodes, of California, was son of J. A. Rhodes, Esq. Leander 
Babcock, Member of Congress, from Oswego, was a native of 
Bridgewater. Mr. Taylor, an early settler, was Member of 
Congress from the southern tier. State Engineer and Sur¬ 
veyor John T. Clark, was a native of Plainfield; married and 
resided in Bridgewater. 

Of seventy-nine persons who joined the Congregational 
church in 1819, Mrs. Alice L. Steele alone survives. 

Our school fund was derived one half from the early liquor 
licenses and the other half from our share of the twenty towns 
laid out on the Chenango and Unadilla Rivers. 

In 1832 Rev. Hiram H. Kellog removed to Clinton and built 
the Female Domestic Seminary. Board and tuition were $120 
per annum. Work was furnished so that the cost might be 
diminished one-fourth to one-lialf. Mr. Kellogg methods were 
followed in Mt. Holyoke and Elmira Female Seminaries and the 
female department of Oberlin and Knox colleges. Mr. Kellog 
was first president of Knox College, Ill. 

The story of the family, whose fowls had become so accus¬ 
tomed to moving, that when they saw the team attached to the 
covered wagon they lay on their backs and elevated their legs 
to be tied, slightly exaggerates the propensity to change that 
dominates the American people. The settlers of Bridgewater 
had their full allowance of quicksilver in their veins. Of the 
seventy different surnames on the tax list of 1786 but eleven are 
represented by descendents as residents today. Abram Oaks 
has two daughters living; Alice Steele represents the Love 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


23 


family; her two daughters represents the Love and Steele fam¬ 
ilies; A. C. Waldo and sister, the Waldo family. Charlotte 
Ives, W. J. Scott, and Mrs. Ward the Ives family. Dewitt C. 
is grandson of Turman Blackman. A boy in his teens repre¬ 
sents the Rhodes family. David Palmer is grandson of “Old” 
Jonathan Palmer. From collateral branches of the Palmer 
family tree are George William Palmer. Dea. Asahel Hunt 
was a grandparent of W. N. and M. T. Southworth and Mrs. 
James Tompkins. Mrs. Peabody Fitch is a granddaughter of 
L. Carpenter, Jr.; N. N. Peirce is a son of Fred Peirce, a citizen 
but not a taxpayer in ’ 96 . The grandfather of the venerable 
Oran Williams settled on a farm on the turnpike near Winfield. 
His neighbors were Bently and Samuel Guild. Simeon Pool 
took a contract in 1793 to carry the mail between Canajoharie 
and Whitestown, but sold to Jason Parker the same year and 
came to Bridgewater. Daniel Eels, one of the early farmers, 
carried a spade and musket at Bunker Hill. Asa Palmer, 
grandsire of our enterprising fellow citizen, W. W. Palmer, 
owned a farm on the hillside west of North Bridgewater. Job 
Tyler and Aaron Morse sold to John Mott in 1800 the farm now 
owned by Westland Parkinson. Asher Bull lived a little north 
of the house of G. Sliaul, owning portions of the Shaul and 
Sholes farm. A Mr. Moore, grandsire of Dr. Moore, of Win¬ 
field, had a farm adjoining the Ives farm. Isaac Hall built a 
grist mill at Gooseville Corners. Eldad Peck built one on the 
Herson Hill farm. Nathan Waldo built a saw mill now owned 
by Henry Robinson. John Reckerson built a saw mill on the 
Evan W. Roberts farm, Elnathan Andrews, Jr., a saw mill at 
Gaskells Corners. 

Sevres or Dresden porcelain did not grace the tables of the 
pioneers. Wooden trenches turned from ash blocks by Mr. 
Holcomb, at Gaskells Corners, or by Elizali Rice, on the Robert 
Williams farm, with burnished pewter platters and plates were 
appropriate to the rustic tables. Ebenezer Judson first opened 
up the farm of W. H. Brown, Esq. Ebenezer Moody gave the 
plat of ground and was the first tenant of the cemetery at the 
Center. Dr. Daniel Avery, who came to Babcock Hill with 
Anthony Rhodes, in 1792, was the first resident physician. He 
removed from the hill to the flat about 30 rods northeast of the 


24 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


Center church, then to the farm now owned by J. D. Pierce and 
in 1814 to Leroy, Genesee county. Of the 500 acres purchased 
by Maj. S. Rhodes a portion is now possessed by L. S. Brown. 
Major Rhodes sold it to a Mr. Lang worthy, who deeded it to 
Loren Robbins, uncle of F. G. Robbins. From his son, Clark, it 
came to Peleg Brown, or his son, L. Brown. 

The highway leading from Shauls to North Bridgewater 
crossed the trout brook east of its present location. At that 
crossing resided Benjamin Reynolds, grandsire of Mrs. George 
Ray. Elias Bixby, who, on the night of July 15,1779, carried a 
bayonet into Stony Point under “Mad Anthony Wayne,” lived 
and died where Mrs. Peter Chapin now lives. His ashes lie in a 
nameless grave at the Center, while those of his grandson, 
whom he educated, and who died a millionaire, rest in Green¬ 
wood ’neath the shadow of a splendid monument on which many 
thousands were lavished. 

Early in the ’90’s a framed tavern was erected at North 
Bridgewater by Mr. Lyman, where the cheese factory now 
stands. In March, ’98, $30 was paid for liquor license at $5 a 
license. High license was not then a party cry. Evolution had 
not then produced the prohibitionists. While the town was in 
embryo, Abner Ives built a store where the IJ. V. R. R. office 
now is, at which farm produce and peltry could be exchanged 
for groceries, linsey w r oolsy, whiskey and New England rum. 
He sold to Plat Herrick, who converted it into a tavern. For 
ninety years, excepting only when fire pumped that corner, 
liquor w r as always on tap. In the hands of its present genial 
proprietor it has become a monument—a monument to departed 
spirits. 

One hundred years is a brief period in a nation’s life! 
One hundred years ago today the National Assembly of France 
was in convention. The French revolution had commenced. 
One week from Saturday will be the centenary of the fall of the 
Bastile. July 14,1790, fourteen months after the inauguration 
of George Washington, the French constitution was adopted. 
Ninety years ago a mob broke out in the palace of Versailles, 
murdered the Queen’s guards, compelled the King and Queen 
to return to Paris with the heads of the murdered guards 
carried on poles beside the state carriage. Ninety-eight years 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


25 


ago the King and Queen fled from Paris, but were arrested and 
brought back. Ninety-seven years ago they were beheaded. 
Robespierre, Marat, the Reign of Terror, Napoleon in Italy, in 
Egypt, First Council, Council for Life, Emperor Austerlitz, 
Wagram, Elba, The 100 Days, Waterloo, St. Helena, Charles X, 
Louis XVIII, Louis Philippe, The Republic of ’48, Louis 
Napoleon, Sedan, The 3rd Republic. All these events have 
transpired since Maj. Farwell laid his axe at the foot of the 
tree on the hill named for him. 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


27 


NORTH BRIDGEWATER 


AND EARLY SETTLERS OF ABOUT 1800 

G. H. PARKHURST 


That portion of Bridgewater, formerly and familiarly 
known as Benham *s Flats, consists of a body of land at one 
time owned by Truman Benham, commencing at the foot of 
Babcock Hill by a long row of yellow wallow trees running 
north on the borders of a little rivulet and embracing all the 
land now owned by Lorenzo S. Brown, opposite his residence, 
all the land owned by George H. Burgess; the lands owned by 
Wallace Randall, lying opposite of said Burgess; the old 
Benham homestead place, recently purchased by Irving Allen; 
the place now owned by Edwin Carpenter; the Michael Nugent 
farm, and sixty acres lying on the south side of the farm now 
owned by William W. Palmer, and running in a continuous 
body from said willow trees at the beginning of the above 
description to the Sauquoit creek, opposite of the Richfield 
Springs Junction depot and containing four hundred acres of 
as nice land as there is in the county of Oneida. About 1835 
Mr. Benham sold this body of land to his son, Asahel, reserving 
about forty acres, being the original farm of said George H. 
Burgess. Soon after Asahel B. sold out the remainder to 
Oliver R. Babcock and the whole original four hundred acres 
were sold off and appropriated to different parties. The old 
gentleman remained but a short time and removed with the re¬ 
mainder of his family to the town of Lenox, Madison county, 
and his son to Wisconsin. Mr. Benham’s oldest son, Milton, 
was the inventor of the art of conveying water through water- 
lime aqueducts. His first experiment was conducting water 
from lands now owned by George W. Palmer across the lands 
then owned by Joseph Budlong, Esq., to the old Benham home¬ 
stead now owned by said Irving Allen. 

The house so familiarly known as the Italian house at the 




28 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


railroad crossing, was built about fifty-seven or eight years ago 
by David Barnum and be had a wagon shop on the opposite 
side of the road and carried on wagon making, but soon after 
sold out to Joseph Budlong, Sr., and moved to Cassville, built 
the shop where Davis & Barnum now carry on the business. 
This Italian house has a history, being the place where, a few 
years ago, a tragedy occurred in which one Italian shot another 
with a revolver, on Sunday, shooting through a window from 
the front side of the house, killing his victim instantly, in the 
presence of several others. He escaped and cleared the 
country. Sheriff Weaver afterward said that he had been 
informed that he was known to be in the city of London, Eng¬ 
land, but he was never apprehended and saved his neck from 
the gallows. 

The place now owned by George W. Palmer was formerly 
owned by Hiram Marsh, who built the house in the summer of 
1832, and was at that time engaged in the mercantile business, 
the store being a few feet north of the house. The upper por¬ 
tion of the store was conducted as a select school, it being the 
only select school at that time anywhere near, except the 
Academy at the village of Bridgewater. Mr. Marsh did not 
remain here in trade only a year or two after building the dwell¬ 
ing house, and removed the store and contents to Cassville and 
remained but a few years before the failure of Marsh & Stanley, 
and a week or two later the failure of Iliram followed. This 
left Calvin A. Budlong & Co. monarchs of the business at 
“Toad Hollow,” as the place at that time was familiarly known, 
they having commenced trade there in the fall or winter of 
1832. When Marsh moved to Cassville he sold his place to 
Gurdon Turner, wdio resided there till 1840, when he sold to 
Joseph Budlong, Esq., who, at that time, lived in the large 
square house on the east side of the road on the corner. 
Turner moved to the village of Bridgewater and died there, 
Budlong retaining this place till he died. His son, Jerome, 
then came in possession and afterwards sold to Joseph S. 
Rhoades and he sold to the present occupant, George W. Pal¬ 
mer in 1883. 

The farm now owned and occupied by John B. Tuckerman 
was formerly owned by Abraham Monroe, who came here in 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


29 


an early day, purchased the land in the state of nature, cleared’ 
it up and built the present dwelling house there and conducted 
a country tavern, together with the farm for many years up to 
about 1832 or 1833. At this time Ezra Parker, who also was a 
pioneer, had built this large square house on the corner where 
the road leading from Fort Plain over Babcock Hill intersects 
the old Plank Road a few rods south of the Monroe house. At 
this time, when the country was new and full of emigrants from 
the eastern states seeking new homes, this road from Fort Plain 
over Paris Hill and to Clinton, was one of the main thorough¬ 
fares where the tide of emigration drifted, and tavern keeping: 
in those days was quite a lucrative business. Monroe cut a 
road through the timber on his land from his house approach¬ 
ing the road leading to Babcock Hill in order to receive the 
traveling custom, thereby inducing them to come direct to his 
house instead of keeping the main road to the corner of the 
north and south thereby shunning the Parker tavern on the 
south corner. This Parker house is now owned/by Mrs. Alex.. 
Brown. 

About 1796 or 1797 a log school house was built on the 
corner of Monroe’s land. The late Esquire James A. Rhodes 
and Esquire Barnette, now of Clayville, (who then lived at 
Cassville) were among the little fellows who attended this 
school. This old gentleman related but a few years ago some 
of the anecdotes relating to their attendance. On one occasion 
the teacher punished a scholar by making him get down on all 
fours and put his nose through a knot hole in the floor. Schools 
were few and scattering in those days and children were obliged 
to go two or three miles to reach these log school buildings* 
where they learned the rules and rudiments then commonly 
inculcated by backwoods pedagogues. This Monroe farm re¬ 
mained in the Monroe family till about the year 1854 or 185& 
and was then purchased by George Tuckerman, the father of 
John B., the present owner and occupant. 

The farm adjoining this on the north was owned by Elias 
Beers sixty years ago. He was a tailor by trade and carried 
on his farm and conducted his trade at the same time. He had? 
three sons, Edwin, John and Charles. John went west manjr 
years ago and after the father’s death, Edwin became the owner 
of the premises, afterward conveying them to Ebenezer Rider 


30 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


and he to James Potter, the present owner, who resides at 
Clayville and is engaged in the mercantile business. Beers, 
after selling to Rider, spent the remainder of his days in 
Cassville. 

SOCIETY OF FRIENDS 

A society of Friends, commonly called Quakers, at one time 
flourished at North Bridgewater and had a considerable mem¬ 
bership. They built a commodious meeting house on the site 
where the cemetery is located at North Bridgewater and held 
meetings there for years, but finally became scattered and 
divided and so few remained that they in time disbanded. The 
house remained unoccupied for many years, was sold, taken 
down, and the timber removed to Clayville and put into a 
dwelling house now standing, and being the first house north 
of the Presbyterian church there. Obadiah Williams was quite 
a prominent member of this society and an early settler on the 
farm, well known, of late years, as the Alexander Brown farm, 
and after he became quite advanced in years sold out to Par- 
menas Mott in 1838, and, with the remainder of his family, left 
town. Mott soon after sold to Alexander Brown and moved 
to Cassville, where he was engaged in the mercantile business 
for a few years, but soon after retired from business and died 
in the city of Utica, leaving one son and two daughters: Wal¬ 
lace, Maria and Jane. 

OTHER SETTLERS 

David Miller settled on the farm now owned by Charles 
Green and was followed by Nathaniel Roberts. Roberts not 
only owned what is now Green’s farm, but the fifty acres lying 
directly south of it, now belonging to Mrs. Margaret Brown, 
which he sold many years ago to Elisha Baker, Sr., and twenty- 
four acres adjoining this on the east side, he sold to Cornelius 
Dutcher. Roberts had six sons, Daniel, Amos, Ashael, Philo, 
Luman and Lyman, the latter being twins. Amos carried on 
the tanning and currying business at North Bridgewater in 
1816 and perhaps a few years later. The tannery was located 
just back of the house now occupied by E. H. Spicer. Caleb 
Green and Calvin Smith followed him, and afterwards George 
Howe. John Mott settled, in an early day, on the farm now 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


31 


owned and occnpied by T. W. Parkinson. He had four sons 
and five daughters. The sons were Joseph, John, Samuel 
(elected sheriff of Oneida county in 1831) and Parmenas. 
Joseph Converse married the daughter Sarah, who had two 
children, Milton and Sarah Converse. One daughter married 
Henry Thomas of Columbia, Herkimer county, and the other 
three remained single. 

TEE OLD TAVERN 

The old hotel premises has quite a history and perhaps it 
might be somewhat interesting to some if the names of those 
are mentioned from the first engaged down to the last who 
kept, what in former days, was called a tavern. Tradition 
claims this old tavern house to be the first or second framed 
house erected in Bridgewater. A man by the name of Stone 
was the first who opened the house to entertain the public 
traveler, which must be sixty-five or seventy years ago, and 
was followed by the following: Michael Foster, John J. 
Mabbett, Brooks, Jotham King, H. C. Robins, G. T. Parkhurst, 
Nelson Devendorf, Alonzo Brown, John Golden, Burch, Clark 
Green and C. C. Green. A company was then formed by the 
farmers in North Bridgewater and vicinity called the North 
Bridgewater cheese and creamery company, who bought this 
hotel property and conducted it as a stock company creamery 
and cheese factory for several years, but it was afterward sold 
to George A. Smith of Cassville, who has conducted it as a 
cheese factory since, but has recently sold it to John Davis of 
Cassville, who will continue the business by the aid of Lon 
Brown, who has so successfully conducted the factory for the 
past six years. Lon knows how to make good cheese and with 
his genial good nature knows how to please the patrons with 
his smiling countenance and a hearty good laugh, which cost 
nothing but a pleasant disposition, letting nature develop itself. 

VARIOUS INDUSTRIES 

Artemus Newton, about seventy years ago, had a shop on 
the corner near where James Malony’s house now is; his main 
business was wooding plows. Soon after Reynold Kirkland 


32 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


carried on the same shop, employing a number of hands at the 
coopering business. He had several boys who learned the 
trade and worked with him. This was in the time when ash- 
eries and distilleries were quite extensively operated all over 
this part of the country and there was a great demand for 
potash and whiskey barrels, which made it quite a lucrative 
business in those days. The old gentleman moved his shop to 
Cassville with ox teams about 1835 and, as age and infirmities, 
together with hard work, necessitated him to soon after quit 
the business, he moved the remainder of his family to Jefferson 
county, where he finished his long journey of industrious life. 

Jeremiah Brown, Jr., lived where Martin Malony does; 
had a cabinet shop, carried on the business and at the same 
time manufactured boots and shoes. Many years ago a man 
by the name of Wing owned the farm now owned by Mrs. Laura 
Randall, kept some very fine blooded stock horses; had a dis¬ 
tillery across the road from Martin Malony’s. John Mott once 
owned this farm, which, for many years after, was owned and 
occupied by Nicholas Rhodes, who had four sons and six daugh¬ 
ters, of whom none are now living except Rosanna, who married 
Daniel Green. There was, at one time, no less than five or six 
fisheries in this immediate neighborhood. In those days Cor¬ 
nelius Dutcher lived where Miss Hester Parkhurst does, having 
purchased the premises of one Parmalee, and owned about 
sixty acres of land now owned by Humphrey Roberts; had a 
blacksmith shop on the northwest corner of A. H. Parkhurst *s 
lot, and, besides managing his farm, did quite an extensive 
business in the blacksmith shop. Esq. Peirce sold the lot where 
the blacksmith shop was the house lot to one Parmalee, 
.and he to Dutcher. Joshua Babcock, Esq., who afterward lived 
for many years and died at Unadilla Forks, once owned the lot 
now owned by A. H. Parkhurst, together with ten acres lying 
on the south side of J. R. Moses 9 place, and carried on the 
.saddle and harness business for several years. The late Henry 
Babcock and his sister Lucy were born here. Babcock sold to 
Peirce and Peirce afterwards purchased the north part of the 
land now owned by said Moses. A man by the name of Ham¬ 
mond once lived in a log house between where Moses 9 house 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


33 


now stands and the barn. A man by the name of Walton fol¬ 
lowed Hammond. Peirce sold to Newcomb, who carried on the 
cabinet business and other shop work and died here. After 
his death the place was purchased by Jeremiah Brown, Jr., and 
Brown afterwards sold to Esq. Peirce, making twice Peirce 
became the owner. After this Peirce lived in the Moses house 
till his death, which occurred about forty-three years ago. He 
owned a farm on the west hill containing about eighty acres and 
that he purchased of the Rev. James South worth, being a part 
of the farm now owned by John F. Jones. Mr. Peirce was one 
of the early settlers of Bridgewater, was a carpenter by trade 
and quite extensively known as a surveyor, did all the business 
in that line in early days. He surveyed every highway in town; 
his record as such is filed in the town clerk ’s office of the same. 
Peirce had two sons and four daughters, none now living except 
Olive, who married a Brooks, and Col. N. N. Peirce, who has 
been respectfully mentioned in a foregoing chapter. Dutcher 
sold the house and lot now owned by Miss Hester Parkhurst to 
Jonas Monroe and he to George P. Oatly and it was afterward 
conveyed to G. H. Parkhurst. 

James Height, sixty years ago, lived where John Downs 
does and was engaged in manufacturing hats and had a shop in 
the building now occupied as a dwelling house and owned by 
Milton Tripp, but moved many years ago to Bridgewater village 
and conducted the business there till modern improvement for 
such tradesmen compelled those of the old style of manufacture 
to quit the business in our towns and villages and the business 
went into large establishments. 

Esq. Peirce sold the place now owned by A. H. Parkhurst 
to a man by the name of Hickox, who was engaged in the sale of 
clocks in the year 1832 and fled to the country from the city of 
Utica when the cholera scare entered there, and made this pur¬ 
chase and the next year built the present upright of the house 
connecting it to the old original house, making it a wing to the 
new part. Hickox did not remain here but a few years, going 
back somewhere in New England where he came from. 

Our postoffice was established in 1850 and Elisha Baker 


34 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


was its first postmaster and the present incumbent is Thomas 
Parkinson. 


NOTE —Present occupants and owners of places mentioned in above 
sketch: Lorenzo Brown place, Charles Clark; George Burgess place, George 
Burgess; Wallace Randall lands (opposite George Burgess’), Wallace Randall; 
Irving Allen (old Benham homestead), George Burgess; Edwin Carpenter’s 
house, Mrs. Edwin Carpenter, (occupant, Del Knapp); Michael Nugent farm, 
Del Bush; Wm. Palmer farm, H. A. Palmer, (occupant, John Owens); George 
W. Palmer’s lands and place, Mrs. George W. Palmer; location of old Italian 
house, railroad crossing and Babcock Hill road; Davis & Barnum business in 
Cassville, John Davis, (occupant, Sidney Davis); place of business of Marsh, 
Budlong, Rhoades, Palmer, now a dwelling owned and occupied by Menzo 
Tripp, (when a store it stood opposite I. M. Risley’s house in Cassville; Ezra 
Parker’s tavern (large square house, owned by Mrs. Alex Brown), Mrs. Alex 
Brown, (occupant, Charles Brown); James Potter farm, James Potter. 

NOTE —Present owners and occupants of places mentioned in above 
sketch: Alexander Brown farm, Mrs. Alexander Brown; Charles Green farm, 
Mrs. Frank T. Jones; E. H. Spicer house, Bert I. Brown (used as tenant 
house); T. W. Parkinson farm, old stock company creamery, old hotel now, 
run as such by Clayton Town; James Malony s house, Mrs. John Mcllheny; 
(occupant, Perkins); Martin Malony’s house, Mrs. Martin Maloney, (occupant, 
James Town); Mrs. Laura Randall’s farm, W. N. Randall; Miss Hester Park- 
hurst’s place, bought and occupied by A. H. Parkhurst; John F. Jones’ farm, 
owned by F. J. Southworth; John Down’s house, Mrs. Walter Lusby; house 
owned and occupied by Milton Tripp, Andrew Knauer; last postmaster and 
when postoffice was disbanded, Thomas Parkinson, 1902. 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


35 


BABCOCK HILL 

G. H. PARKHURST 


Asa and Oliver Babcock from North Stonington, New Lon¬ 
don county, Conn., were among the first settlers on the hill and 
from them it received its name. Asa came in 1797 and settled 
on the farm in the town of Paris on the town line of Bridge- 
water and Paris, it being the farm now owned by George Chap¬ 
man. This farm joins the one in Bridgewater upon which 
Oliver Babcock located in 1797, the latter now the property of 
Col. N. N. Peirce of Bridgewater village. Martin Babcock, the 
younger brother of the two, came to the town in 1807, and 
located on the farm now owned by his son, Clark H. Babcock. 
He purchased of Roland Stiles who had made the first improve¬ 
ments on the place. None of these three were married at the 
time of settlement. Asa was a cabinet maker by trade and 
erected a shop upon his premises, in which he carried on the 
business for some time, but finally discontinued the business 
and gave his time and attention exclusively to farming. Martin 
did some work in the cooper line. Asa originally took up two 
hundred acres of land, Martin’s place contained one hundred. 
Oliver commenced with a small amount, but in after years be¬ 
came a large land holder. The first trips of these brothers to 
this region were made on horseback. Martin and Oliver both 
served in the army during the war of 1812, the former being 
stationed at Ogdensburg and the latter at Sacketts Harbor. 
Both of them died before the act granting pensions to the 
soldiers of 1812 was passed. Asa Babcock had three sons and 
a daughter: Lorin, Leander and Augustus, and the daughter 
married S. H. Reynolds. Leander was a graduate of Union 
College at Schenectady, read law with Esquire Willard Crafts 
of Utica and afterwards became a very popular lawyer in the 
city of Oswego; served his people in the thirty-second Congress 
in 1851-1852. Augustus was assassinated by Edward Varndell 
on the morning of December 27, 1835, at the old home place. 
The assassin, in a fit of maddened jealousy, beat out his brains 



36 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


with the head of an ax in early morning while he lay sweetly 
reposing in his bed. Varndell then returned to the room, which 
he and his wife occupied, and struck her while she was sitting in 
her chair before the blazing fire partially dressed, killing her, 
then cut his throat from ear to ear in the same room, killing 
himself almost instantly. This was one of the greatest trage¬ 
dies that ever occurred in this part of the country. Augustus 
was but twenty-two years old when he met this untimely doom. 

Oliver Babcock had two sons and two daughters, Oliver R. 
and Peleg B., Maria and Clarissa. Oliver R. represented the 
town of Bridgewater in the board of supervisors in 1843 and 
1844 and twice in the town of New Hartford. Peleg B. was 
quite extensively engaged in farming. He served his town in 
the board of supervisors from 1851 to 1854. He was elected 
and served as Member of Assembly in 1857, was taken sick while 
in the Legislature, came home and did not live but a few days. 
Babcock Hill and Bridgewater lost one of its most worthy citi¬ 
zens and he has been missed by his host of friends. Maria 
married Albert Burke and Clarissa became the wife of S. H. 
Reynolds. 

Martin Babcock had two sons and three daughters, Clark 
H., who now resides and owns the old home farm, and Henry, 
who lives in Florida. Elizabeth married Giles Scott of Brook¬ 
field, Catherine married Myron Scott, who died soon after 
marriage and his widow died in Florida a short time ago. 
Kaziah married J. Jerome Budlong, who now resides at Aurora, 
Ill. 

Major Anthony Rhodes, a veteran of the Revolution and a 
resident of North Stonington, Conn., came to this town with his 
family in 1792. His wife was an aunt of the before mentioned 
Babcocks. He purchased a five hundred acre lot of land of 
Judge Sanger of New Hartford. This land was then all in its 
wild state of nature. Not a house, a public road, or an inhabi¬ 
tant in sight or hearing. The Major built a log shanty on the 
place (Babcock Hill) and then returned east after his family, 
which he moved by ox team the following year and settled them 
in this rude log building, being but a few rods from where the 
present dwelling house now stands which is the same built by 
him a few years after. 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


37 


The roads were nothing but winding foot paths among 
forest trees and fallen timber. His son, James Avery Rhodes, 
Esq., was horn in Connecticut in 1790 and was consequently but 
two years old when brought to this town. James A. Esq., al¬ 
ways resided at this place where his father built the house, 
1806, with the exception of a few years at Clayville, and died 
here in 1886, being ninety-six years old. He was several times 
elected and officiated as Justice of the Peace and held the office 
of Supervisor for the first time in 1824 and again in 1840. The 
father, Anthony, moved many years ago to a farm near North 
Winfield, Herkimer county, where he died at quite an advanced 
age. Maj. Rhodes 9 wife was a sister to Capt. Oliver Babcock, 
who came this way at some time during the Revolution with a 
small band of Connecticut soldiers. They proceeded from 
Schenectady to what is known as the ‘ ‘ Carr farm, ’ ’ named Carr 
from an Indian agent in Otsego county, and thence up the Una- 
dilla and down the Oriskany to Fort Stanwix. On fhe way they 
camped on the very ground which was afterwards selected by 
Major Rhodes as a home. Capt. Babcock mentioned this place 
to his brother-in-law after his return to Connecticut and the lat¬ 
ter came down and bought it, settled here and he and his wife 
are now buried upon it. 

John Rhodes, a brother of the Major, about the same time 
came here and purchased a large amount of land of a man by 
the name of Beach in the city of New York, and went then, 
riding on horse back, to procure his deeds. He had five sons, 
Dr. Rhodes, who practiced medicine on Babcock Hill in quite an 
early day, Nicholas, who settled at North Bridgewater, Rev. 
James Rhodes, who used to administer the gospel to the Bap¬ 
tists at Cassville, Esquire Benjamin and Capt. Sion. A part of 
this lot of land purchased by John Rhodes consisted of the land 
or farm that Benjamin Rhodes owned and occupied till his 
death, which occurred in 1853 and now owned by Franklin 
Leonard; the farm now owned by Square S. Shawl and for 
many years by Capt. Sion Rhodes; quite a large portion of 
Newton Sholes farm and about forty acres owned by Wallace 
Randall. 

Asa Babcock built a hotel on Babcock Hill in 1812 and 
carried it on till he died about 1825. Simeon Green rented it 


38 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


afterwards for seven years and kept it till the spring of 1832. 
It was afterward kept as a hotel for many years, Lemuel J. 
Tripp being the last, who is the present owner, but has not kept 
it as a public house for several years. 

The first store at this place was kept by Parmenas Mott, 
and afterwards by Rhodes & Robbins and they at the same time 
carried on an ashery near where the school house now stands. 
Others have been in the mercantile business here but no one at 
the present time. 

There was a tavern house where E. L. Austin’s house and 
shoe shop now stands. A man by the name of Budlong owned 
the place, who had three sons and several daughters, Esquire 
David, who resided at Cassville; Capt. James, who afterwards 
owned the farm now owned by William Walsh, and John Bud- 
long. One of the daughters married Horace Luce, one Benja¬ 
min Bentley, one a man by the name of Osendorf and another 
David Barnum. Budlong sold the farm to Stukely Allen about 
1838 or 1839 and Allen a few years after sold to Peleg B. Bab¬ 
cock. Simeon Green was an early settler on the farm now 
owned by Mr. Bailey. He carried on the farm and opened a 
stone quarry, burned lime, got out flagging and step stones 
and at one time made it quite a business. He had a large fam¬ 
ily, consisting of seven sons and four daughters: Samuel, 
Daniel, Jonathan, Benjamin, Clark, Charles and Alonzo; Mar¬ 
garet, Eunice, Lydia and Mary Ann. None are now living 
except Charles. 

Babcock Hill has a postoffice which was established in 1845 
with Dr. John H. Champion as its first postmaster. E. L. 
Austin is the present incumbent. 

The physicians that have settled here and practiced medi¬ 
cine are Drs. Rhodes, the elder Maine, his son, Oliver, Erastus 
Kind, and last, John H. Champion. 

A man by the name of Hatfield settled on the farm now 
owned by Lawrence Dugan. Elisha Wetmore, who was well 
known as a tavern keeper on Frankfort Hill, married one of his 
daughters and two of the Hatfield sons married sisters of Wet- 
more and settled in Iowa. 

James A. Rhodes, Esq., had three sons and two daughters, 
James Anthony Rhodes, the eldest son, went to California sev- 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


39 


oral years ago and is now engaged in horticulture and growing 
fruit. Augustus is a lawyer by profession. He received his 
primary education at the district school on Babcock Hill and 
prepared for college at the academy at Bridgewater village and 
after graduating at Hamilton college at Clinton, went to 
Indiana, where he read law and after having been admitted to 
the courts there went to California. He was at one time one of 
the Supreme Court Judges and since his retirement from the 
Court has been engaged in his profession. William, the young¬ 
est son, died while in business in New York city ten or twelve 
years ago, leaving a widow and a bright young boy, who both 
now remain at the old homestead. Mary Ann, the oldest daugh¬ 
ter, married Henry 0. Southworth, who was a lawyer by pro¬ 
fession and was of the popular firm of Pomeroy & Southworth 
in the city of Rome, Oneida county, for a number of years, but 
on account of failing health the firm dissolved. Afterwards 
Southworth practiced some in the city of New York, but failing 
again in health was obliged to retire from work and lived but a 
short time after. The death of the wife in a few years fol¬ 
lowed. Susanna married a lawyer by the name of Miner who 
lived in California near Judge Rhodes and is conducting his 
profession. 

The farm at the foot of Babcock Hill and now occupied 
by Capt. Lorenzo S. Brown, whose mother was a sister to the 
Babcocks, is the place where Major Lorin Robbins set¬ 
tled in an early day. He was a veteran soldier of the Revolu¬ 
tion, having enlisted as a fifer at the age of fourteen. He told 
many revolutionary tales and one in particular which he related 
made its lasting impression. He had been out upon one occa¬ 
sion with a company of privates and been successful in captur¬ 
ing a British merchant vessel which proved to be a very valu¬ 
able prize. The crew surrendered without a gun being fired or 
a wound given. The vessel and crew were anchored in the 
harbor at New London, Conn. The Major stayed over night at 
a hotel in the place that he might be on hand the next day to 
receive his portion of the booty. But when early morning came 
a British fleet was discovered lying in sight of Fort Griswold, 
which was then garrisoned by militia hastily summoned from 
the labors of the field. The British landed their troops and 


40 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


hastily assaulted on three sides at the same moment. The gar¬ 
rison fighting in view of their property and their homes made 
a brave and obstinate resistance. By the steady and well- 
directed fire, many of the assailants were killed. But pressing 
forward with persevering ardor the enemy entered the fort 
through the embrasures. This put an end to all resistance. 
Irritated by gallantry which should have caused admiration a 
British officer inquired who commanded the fort. i ‘ I did, ’ ’ said 
Colonel Ledyard, ‘ ‘ but you do now, ’ ’ and presented him with his 
sword. The Briton seized it and savagely plunged it into Led¬ 
yard ’s bosom. This appeared to be the signal for an indis¬ 
criminate massacre. Of one hundred and sixty men composing 
the garrison, all but forty were killed or wounded and the most 
of them after resistance had ceased. 

Seldom has the glory of victory been tarnished by such 
detestable barbarity. The enemy then entered New London, 
which they set on fire and consumed it. The property they 
destroyed was immense. They likewise set fire to the vessel 
taken by the privateers mentioned and together with its cargo 
was burned to the water’s edge. The Major, after the enemy 
left, went into the fort and was an eye witness to the most cruel 
acts performed during the whole siege of the Revolution and 
lost his anticipated realization of the great prize so nobly taken 
the day before. All this the old Major would relate with a 
saddened spirit, now and then raising his trembling hand to his 
glistening eyes to wipe away the tears that trickled down his 
aged and furrowed cheek, which sprang from the heart as he 
called to mind the melancholy scenes of his dead companions as 
they lay there in sight of their dear homes, and the ones they 
held most dear to their hearts, butchered while manfully defend¬ 
ing their homes and country. 

The old elm tree, standing in the center of the highway 
which divides the line between L. S. Brown and George H. Bur¬ 
gess has been a landmark for nearly a century. This huge old 
giant tree like Og, the king of Bashan, the remnant of giants of 
his race, is now visibly fast going to decay. Stephen Adams, 
an early settler, related that he had occasion to stop near this 
tree when it was not more than eighteen inches through and 
struck the bit of his ax in the side of it which left a scar now 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


41 


plain to be seen. It now measures eighteen feet around the 
trunk, three and one-half feet above the ground. 

NOTE—Present occupants and owners of places mentioned in above 
sketch: George Chapman farm, Mrs. Byron Randall; Col. N. N. Peirce prop¬ 
erty, Fred Peirce (son of N. N. Peirce); Clark Babcock farm, owned by Fred 
Ludermann; house built by Major Babcock, Clark Babcock farm; Franklin 
Leonard farm, Mrs. James McDermont; owner of old hotel, Lemuel Tripp; 
store conducted at Babcock Hill, Lester B. Sheridan; E. L. Austin’s house, 
Lester B. Sheridan; Wm. Walsh farm, Walsh brothers (William, John, 
Thomas); Peleg Brown farm, Lorenzo Brown farm; Bailey farm, Henry Bailey; 
last postmaster, Miss Ida Miller; present system, R. F. D.; Lawrence Dugan 
farm, Maggie Dugan (the house on the Lawrence Dugan farm was burned about 
1900. Thomas Dugan, aged about 40 years, son of Lawrence Dugan, was burned 
to deatn in the fire The house has not been rebuilt); Cap. Lorenzo Brown 
farm, Charles Clark. 










The accompanying illus¬ 
tration was taken from a 



<D JC 

t: +* 

as s. 
— o 
a> £ 

■4-» 4J 

o' ° 

CO 

O) 

c 


* 

as 

L. 

TJ 


O 

c 

o 

a 


<D ' t- 

jc J2 

^ C C 

<l> <n 
W (0 M 

as <d 

s_ 

Q- 

0) “U 
U O 


TS 
<U 
> 

&- 

<u O) 


L. -M 
Q. CO 


E Jj 


(0 

as 

£ 

-C 

o 

<D 

CO 


£ d>.2 ? 

v c _c 5: £ 


» £ 

as as 

4J i; 
(0 T3 
3 


o .E 0 

§ U u* 

o r- o 


.52 >* 

-C <D 

h ± 


c ns 

<D C 
O) 
O) Z 
CO O 


C 
-M 3 
CL O 

Z 
o 

CO 
<D 


CO 


CO 

CO JC 


X *- 

• 

c 

<u 

— 

TS 

O) 

<D O 

-C 

0 

“D a) 
C — 

<D 

c 


L. 

a> 

as -c 

C 

■a 

^ C 

3 

TS 


4- 


§ 2 
0 -f-» 

.c 

O 

as 

£ 

* c 
0 — 

< 

3 

-Q 


s: 
o 

L. 

3 

t -c 
o O 


3 

o 



































































































































































































































































HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


43 


THE OLD CENTER CHURCH 


The following is a most interesting and carefully prepared history 
of the old Congregational church which stood at Bridgewater Center 
near the Briggs’ residence. This building was torn down in 1837, part 
of the timber forming the present church in the village. Inspired by 
the Centennial celebration of the Congregational church Mr. South- 
worth drew from a remarkable and wonderful memory a vision of the 
old structure as it existed and wrote a sketch in the form of a letter 
to a close friend and this letter was read at this celebration June 29, 

1898. At the same time he prepared a rough draught of the building 
entirely from memory thus preserving, what would otherwise have 
been lost sight of, a picture of those old days. His style is charming 
and his quick wit and finely expressed thoughts have furnished for 
this generation a wonderful presentation of a historical setting of 
past days. 

May I present to you a picture from the retina of memory 
of the Old Meeting-house at the Centre? Well! In imagina¬ 
tion stand beside me at the north front door of Mr. Briggs’ 
dwelling house. Before us is the 44 Green,” a Common two 
acres in extent. In front of us, about seven rods away, is 
the Steeple 16 feet square and more than 80 feet high. To the 
left, commencing in line w T ith Mr. Briggs ’ house, are the Meet¬ 
ing-house sheds extending to the Gooseville road. 

On this June Sabbath of 1834, while the choir are singing 
Old Hundred or Hebron, we will walk around to the Meeting¬ 
house and glance at the exterior. Notice how close the sward 
is clipped, and yet we have no patent lawn mowers. We have 
cows, swine with jewels in their noses, and geese; these are free 
commoners. Of all domestic animals on the farm, none clip 
so close to the ground as the goose, except the ganders, and 
one-half of these geese are ganders. 

In almost every stall of the sheds we notice a lumber 
wagon, double or single; we see saddle horses tied to the braces. 
No buggies, no steel springs; steel springs have not come to B— 
as yet. Many wagons have the wagon chair in front, three 
armed and splint bottomed. These are for the old folks. 
Younger people are content with cleated boards, placed cross¬ 
wise the box or go on foot. Some of us washed our feet Sunday 
morning and went to meeting barefoot. If the families were 
large and lived at a distance from the Meeting-house the 


44 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


smaller fry sat in lap or were sandwiched between the knees 
of the elders. 

Large families were not uncommon in those days. J. W. 
Whitfield, who preaches now and then, writes for the papers 
now and then and wrote “Now and Then” for the Centennial, 
had for his first wife Harriet the 12th and youngest child of 
Cornelius Dutcher. “Deacon Dutcher” is now (1834) living in 
the red house opposite John J. Mabbett’s hotel at North Bridge- 
water. Note. “Now and Then” a poem of 100 stanzas “like 
linked sweetness, molasses candy, long drawn out.” 

There are two vehicles in the shed that require a passing 
notice. These are the coach of Levi Bostwick and the carriage 
of Truman Benham. Mr. Bostwick built the hotel in B— 
(Saunders). When he sold out he retained his family coach; 
an oval box on thorough braces covered with leather. Had we 
been on the Meeting-house steps at 10:30 A. M. this morning 
we might have seen the coach leave the highway, and crossing 
what will be the dooryard of W. H. Briggs and drawing up at 
the steps there alighted Mr. and Mrs. Levi Bostwick and Beeca 
and Nancy and Hattie and Maria and Willard and Warner; 
then the coachman, “Bostwick’s nigger,” drove the equipage 
to the B. shed. Next came the Truman Benham carriage with 
Mr. and Mrs. Benham and Miles and Milton and Azael and 
Clarissa and her sisters. Children, like others, judge from the 
outward appearing; so judging, we conclude the two B’s. are 
the richest men in town. The B. of Bridgewater is richer than 
the B. of Benham Flats, for the first has a “nigger driver,” the 
second has not. 

The Meeting-house is east of us. Its dimensions are 60 
feet by 40. It stands on a wall 3 feet high of unhammered 
stone. On this side are 10 windows, 32 panes, 8 x 10. On the 
north is a single window, a pointed or Gothic arch. The 
window sill is 14 feet from the ground. On the east side are 9 
windows. At the center of the lower tier is a sand stone 
colored door, approached by 4 steps guarded by banister and 
newell. We will not enter here. The benediction has been 
given and the worshipers are making their exit from the front 
doors. Now the last wagon and the last gossip have gone. 

We come to the front. As the ground slopes a little the wall 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


45 


here is blit 2 feet high. One step to the broad platform, two 
steps to the folding doors, which have not been closed, and we 
enter the vestibule; seven or eight steps and we pass through 
folding doors into the auditorium at the foot of the broad aisle. 
At the north end of the aisle is the pulpit, flanked on either side 
by flights of stairs supported in front by turned pillars; up¬ 
holstered in green velvet with cords and tassels. On the center 
of the pile is the Meeting-house bible. With reverence and 
curiosity we walk up the aisle. We glance at the pews. They 
are 6 feet by 5, sides paneled and perpendicular, with a black 
semi-circular rail. There are seats on both sides and at the 
rear end. When the pew is filled, nearly one-half the sitters 
face the pulpit, nearly one-half face those who face the pulpit, 
the balance turn the shoulder to the pulpit. When near the 
pulpit, you turn to the right, I to the left, walk about 14 feet, 
turn at right angle, down the side aisles, another turn, and we 
meet near the entrance. Again in the vestibule we turn to the 
right or left and face doors of exit. 

If you are tired of my picture or my company, say so and 
sav good by. If you wish to see more, turn your face south, I 
will do the same, go up ten or eleven steps to a broad stair, turn 
inward and we meet face to face; up one step, then shoulder to 
shoulder we mount four steps. There is room on these stairs 
for six abreast. In our walk below we compassed thirty-two 
pews. We also passed twenty-four wall pews. At the center 
on either side two pews are wanting. Here are two huge box 
stoves. We notice the galleries. They are on three sides. 
They overhang the side aisles and are supported by square 
pillars placed in the angles of the body pews. But we have got 
up stairs. Folding doors admit us to the galleries. Turning 
right and left respectively we walk to the upper end. We are 
in line with the minister. On the wall side of the aisle, which 
is very narrow, we can open the door of one of the wall pews, 
up two steps and enter—the pews are like those below except 
that naughty boys have carved their initials and grotesque 
figures on the panels. Down a couple of steps on the other side 
of the aisle to the singers' seats. As they extend on three sides 
of the Meeting-house they will accommodate 60 people. There 
are 28 wall pews. We now notice over the entrance 2 high 


46 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


pews supported by pillars and reached by a flight of stairs. 
These were known by me as “nigger pews.” Till 1828 there 
were slaves in B— and these pews were set for their accommo¬ 
dation. I long since set this down as an idle tale. On Centen¬ 
nial Day I spoke to Eunice Bobinson about it. She said the 
story was a true one, she having herself seen the colored people 
sitting there. I was also told that some officer of the meeting 
sat there to overlook the young folks and report if they behaved 
improperly. 

As we are sitting in the gallery we notice the ceiling. It is 
on a plane with the plates. It is supported by turned pillars 
on the breast works, thence it curves upward 5 feet, supported 
by wide studding sawed from “natural crooks.” The balance 
is horizontal. 

On the front of the high pews we note the figures 1805. 
These tell the year in which Gurdeon Turner finished the joiner 
work. As we again enter the steeple, we notice in the angle at 
our left a narrow door. We open it; a long, steep stairway 
leads to the loft above. I have been told that this story is 18 
feet high. It looks about that does it not ? Loose boards are 
only an apology for a floor, so be careful where you step. Up 
another and shorter stairway—flooring like that below. I 
place a ladder on one of the boards. The upper end of the 
ladder in the scuttle hole. Climb the ladder and remove the 
scuttle. You are just beneath the bell. Sway the clapper 
gently; the tone is very good. Strike it forcibly; you are half 
deafened. Come onto the bell deck. For many years the 
steeple extended no higher. Timothy Badger was the bell 
ringer. I knew him well. Inflamed eyes and face, great in 
girth, a perfect Jack Falstaff. The bell was rung at 9 A. M. 
and 12 M. on week days, and on Sunday told the hours for 
Divine Service. Waterbury, Elgin and Waltham watches are 
not known as yet. We laboring people find our appetites when 
Tim rings the noon bell which seldom varies more than fifteen 
minutes. While Tim was on duty one day there was a crash 
and the bell and its tones were both cracked. The bell was 
recast and the steeple was completed. So my description 
is not. 

We now stand in a hexangular structure about 15 feet high, 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


47 


boarded on its six sides with an opening 20 inches wide and 5 
feet high on each side to give free course to the tone of the bell. 
Now step on that block; place your shoe with your foot in it on 
the window sill. Let me have your glove with your hand in it. 
Spring lightly down; no fear of falling, that rail is 2y 2 feet high 
and is pretty firm. Look down 55 feet. That man staring up 
at us appears to have stopped growing in his “early teens.’’ 
Walk around the tower. Admire the landscape. Hills and 
plains, forests and fields, meadows and pastures, fields of corn, 
wheat, rye and oats. Not a hop yard. We do not drink beer, 
except domestic root beer. Cider from our apples, whiskey 
from our rye and Old Jamaica or New England rum are good 
enough for us. 

As we change our point of view, the varied and variegated 
landscape appears a huge crazy quilt or lovely panorama and 
you exclaim “Oh, it’s just perfectly lovely!” and I remark ’tis 
rather pretty. Now place your back to the railing, crane your 
neck backward, at a height of 15 feet is another railing; it is 
about 20 feet high. Within this, surrounded by a narrow ledge, 
the hexagon sloping inward rises about 12 feet. You can get 
to this ledge by climbing the lightning rod. Don’t do it if you 
arc subject to dizziness. 

Above this sloping tower is the “tin,” a pyramid 5 feet 
high with 3 1-3 feet base and from the apex a spire 6 feet high 
arises. A vane 5 feet long in the form of an arrow, gilt at one 
end, painted at the other, indicates the direction of the wind.' 
This is set off by gilt balls, one above, one below. Before the 
Meeting-house became disused the upper ball slid down onto 
the vane and set it. 

Two years hence (in 1836) with a parcel of school children 
we may stand at the foot of the steeple and see a boy of eighteen 
climb the rod and raise that ball and wedge it to its place and 
descend unhurt. The lightning rod, made by the village black¬ 
smith, consisted of pieces of iron about 6 feet long with an eye 
at one end and a hook at the other was hooked into the spire, 
bent to conform to the tower, and passing from the eaves of the 
belfry and down to the steps, through a hole in the plate-form 
into the top of a pine or cedar post. It lacked a foot of reach¬ 
ing the ground. I cannot say that electricity, greased or un- 


48 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


greased, ever took that route. But my mother once told me 
that one of the Ward girls said she saw a ball of fire as large 
as a peck measure go down the rod. When a little tot I had 
seen on the Fourth of July, fire balls. It seemed a wonder to 
me how so large a ball could pass through an augur hole. 
Saturday evening, which in accordance with Pilgrim usage we 
kept, father had told me of Jonah and the fish, Sampson and 
the jaw bone, Joshua and the ram’s horn, and Jericho and 
Daniel and the lions, S. M. & A. and the fiery furnace, so I 
accepted the ball of fire. 1 never doubted my mother f s word. 

Go down the way you came. Fll go down the lightning rod 
and meet you on terra firma. Farewell, Ghost of the Meet¬ 
ing-house on the Green! You and the generation that once 
worshiped in you are but a mere memory. Sixtv-one years ago 
Elery Woodworth pulled down the edifice and the Green is 
Nodes Campos Vaccinos. 

Please allow me to present to you Rev. Edward Allen. 
Like Moses of old he is an austere man. Calvinism is ingrained 
in his nature. I think I never saw him smile. He came Sept. 
1835 with a wife and two sons, John aged 11 years and George 9. 
They lived in the H. E. Palmer house. 

In the spring of 1836 the great Baptist revivalist, Elder 
Jacob Knapp, held a Union protracted meeting in the North 
Church. His sermons were of the composite order, nine parts 
of the lightnings and thunders of Sinai and one part of the 
Gospel of Love. Evening after evening the church was 
crowded. Some people were excited to the verge of insanity. 
The “Anxious seats’’ were crowded with tearful, sobbing, 
groaning penitents. The Baptists got most of the converts. 
Many when the excitement was passed fell from grace. Of the 
converts I fondly recall the names of John Allen and his friend 
and my friend John Monroe. Other young people, my school 
mates, were Frank Curry, who lived with Mott Otterhouse, 
Erastus Perkins in the S. Clark house; John M. lived in the 
Bebb house, and Caroline Scott of Scott Street. A finer set of 
young people I never knew. 

In May, 1837, E. Perkins was drowned in the Mohawk, aged 
13. August after, Caroline Scott died, aged 14. John Allen 
while preparing for college died aged 16. Frank Curry died 


HISTORICAL, SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


49 


in his teens in Illinois. He was receiving a salary of $500 per 
year. John Monroe, learning the printer’s craft, died in Rome. 
On a slab in the Center graveyard yon can read “John Monroe. 
Died Nov. 7, 1845. Aged 21 years. He desired to serve God 
in the ministry on earth, bnt was called to serve Him in heaven. 
Erected by his young friends as a memorial of love . 9 ’ 

********* 

Having finished my task I’ll change my subject and “Tell 
a story” or two of the Rev. Jeddediah Burchard* One of these 
I have heard told by the late Albert Steele. Mr. Steele was 
teaching school in Jefferson County. He attended a meeting 
at which the eccentric Rev. J. B. preached and heard him tell 
this story of a brother cleric who at family prayers always 
stood with hands resting on a chair back and in the earnestness 
of his petition would move himself and chair about the room. 
There was a trap door that opened to the cellar. One morning 
the trap door had been incautiously left ;open, or perhaps 
cautiously opened by his sons. The good man in his earnest¬ 
ness shoved the chair into the hole. Chair and man landed in 
the cellar. One of the graceless sons, clapping his hands in 
glee, exclaimed “There! The devil has given Dad a fall!” A 
young man of the congregation as the story ended seeing it 
from a ludicrous point, exploded with laughter. The Rev. J. 
B., shocked at the ill-timed levity, exclaimed, “Young man,, 
don’t laugh at those ungodly boys!” Mr. Steele said he re¬ 
strained his risibles by stuffing his bandana in his mouth. 

It is related that Mr. Burchard had for winter wear a pair 
of buckskin breeches. These in warm weather were stored. 
On a cold day in early winter he went to the garret and encased 
so much of his person in this garment as it was intended to 
cover and repaired to the Meeting-house. Suddenly while mak¬ 
ing the first invocation he stopped and violently slapping his 
breeches on the flanks, front and rear, exclaimed, “Bretherin, 
the word of the Lord is in my mouth, but the devil is in my 
breeches!” A colony of wasps had taken possession of the 
garment in the summer and the irascible insects resented his 
intrusion into the premises which they had held by peaceful; 
possession. 

* Mr. Burchard was a preacher at Camden, N. Y. 






I 




t 




\ 



































































































































\ 



CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH UNIVERSALIST CHURCH 




































HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


51 


HISTORY OF CHURCHES 


CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH 

This society was organized March 8, 1798, with thirteen 
members. In 1805 a house of worship was erected two miles 
north of the village, located between Harrison Briggs’ house 
and the corner. In this building meetings were held until 1835 
when the church was divided and a new society formed at the 
village, at which time the present edifice was erected. 

Then, as now, from the hall you entered the church by 
doors on either side, but between them, where the double doors 
are now, was the pulpit. Doors closed at the end of each box¬ 
shaped pew and were securely buttoned on the inside. A gal¬ 
lery went around the entire church, having box seats like the 
audience room and over the pulpit was one gallery larger than 
the others. The choir occupied the farther end of the gallery 
opposite the pulpit and when their part of the service came 
they were started off by the aid of a tuning fork. Later a reed 
organ became one of the church’s proud possessions. 

About 1876 there were great changes and the interior was 
altered to the present style and arrangement and a new pipe 
organ was placed in the church. In the year 1889 cathedral 
glass windows replaced the small glass ones. This was the 
prevailing condition until 1902 when further improvements 
were made by the addition of a dining room and kitchen in the 
rear. The old time box stoves were removed and a furnace 
put in. The entire interior was newly decorated and newly 
furnished. To these improvements were added communion 
table and chairs and the church presented a very attractive 
appearance. June 29, 1898, a centennial celebration was held 
and most interesting meetings followed. Following is the 
list of pastors in the order which they served: James South- 
worth, Alpha Miller, H. H. Kellogg, R. M. Davis, Edward^ 
Allen, Seth P. M. Hastings, Charles Machin, Edward Allen, 



52 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


(second time), S. W. Brace, H. Boynton, Dr. Gamage, J. W. 
Whitfield, Moses Thatcher, William B. Thompkins, C. H. 
Beebe, F. Bradnack, L. W. Church, J. S. Upton, John Mars- 
land, Charles W. Drake, Samuel Manning, Nathan S. Aller, 
Aurelian Post, Charles Fraser, Nathan S. Aller (second time), 
Edw. C. Wiley. 


UNIVERSALIST CHURCH 

On March 4th, 1833, several inhabitants of Bridgewater, 
Brookfield and Plainfield met at the house of Henry Rogers in 
Plainfield for the purpose of organizing a religious society of 
the Universalist denomination. Amos Scott was chosen chair¬ 
man and Isaac Woodworth, secretary. The next meeting was 
held March 18th, when it was voted that the society be known 
as the United Universalist Society of Bridgewater, Brookfield 
and Plainfield. 

The present church was erected in 1835 and dedicated. A 
young man by the name of L. C. Brown was pastor of the 
society during the time of the church building and when it was 
dedicated he was ordained. He afterward became a very noted 
and eloquent minister of the Universalist denomination. Some 
of the most able men in the denomination filled the desk from 
time to time, including the Revs. Dr. Skinner, A. B. Grash, Dr. 
Thomas, J. Sawyer and others. When the dark cloud of the 
Civil War hovered over our country the Rev. Richard Coleman 
was pastor here. He preached a war sermon, as did most of 
his brother ministers, and it so disorganized the unity that for 
a time there were no regular services but up to 1865 occasional 
services were held, when the doors were closed. 

In the summer of 1870 the Rev. Daniel Ballou came here 
canvassing for the Centenary fund and at this time urged the 
people here to repair the church. It was in the next summer, 
1871, that the Rev. A. A. Thayer, agent for the Christian Leader 
came here in the interest of that paper. The old, delapidated 
church appealed to his denominational loyalty and he asked for 
an appointment to preach here. The following Sunday ser¬ 
vices were held in the Union church and in a business meeting 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


53 


which followed Mr. Thayer urged the people to repair the 
church. As a result, a committee of young men, consisting of 
Fred B. Foote, Lorin Scott and Orson Wolcott were chosen and 
they immediately went to work soliciting funds and by January 
next they had raised about $1200 and the needed repairs were 
made. The church was rededicated in February, 1873, Rev. 
A. J. Canfield, then of Utica, preaching the dedicating sermon. 
In the following March Rev. Luther Rice began his work and 
was succeeded sometime in the Seventies by Rev. LeGrande 
Powers. T. D. Cook was his successor and failing health 
obliging him to resign, Mrs. Powell of Herkimer filled the pul¬ 
pit for a time, after which J. H. Stewart supplied for two years. 
H. O. Somers came here in the summer of 1887. The following 
spring the church was newly papered and stained glass win¬ 
dows put in. Charles Legal came the next winter from the 
Canton school and was succeeded by Rev. J. Murray Atwood. 
Rev. Charles Vail came next and preached two years. His 
successor was William N. Lawrence, who left here to take 
charge of the society in Utica. During the winter Mrs. Law¬ 
rence and Rev. E. W. Fuller alternately supplied the pulpit. 
Rev. Artemus L. Partridge was the next pastor and after his 
departure, Daniel Ballou filled the pulpit up to the time of his 
death. Rev. J. L. Dowson was then secured and during his 
pastorate the church was again extensively repaired and a new 
furnace installed. Rev. H. A. Abbott was his successor and 
following him came Rev. G. F. Babbitt, who left this church 
for a new field in Bristol. Rev. W. A. Render of Cicero was 
then called as the next pastor and he was followed by Rev. 
DeWitt Lampher. Mrs. Blanche Wright Morey of Newport 
is now very ably supplying the pulpit alternate weeks and is 
presenting to her congregations able and gifted discourses. 


EPISCOPAL CHURCH 

Christ church is one of the oldest Episcopal parishes in 
Oneida county. The parish was organized in October, 1839. 
A small chapel was the first place of worship but this at a later 
date was removed from its original foundation, which was 



54 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


located near the present Hibbard House, and placed on the site 
of the Baptist church, which had previously been destroyed 
by fire, and in addition to a new part, was used by this society 
together with the Methodists and Baptists and known as the 
Union church. Services were conducted here for many years 
until a new church building was erected on another street where 
services were conducted and the old building was given over 
to various forms of public entertainments, but repairs being 
neglected, it gradually fell into a state of decay and was ren¬ 
dered unsafe for use, and wearied and worn, seemingly, by 
years of steady service it stands a 4 ‘ superannuated’ ’ structure, 
mutely pleading for help. 

The first rector in the little chapel was the Rev. Seth 
Davis, who had charge from 1839 to 1841. Mr. Davis was suc¬ 
ceeded in 1841 by Rev. James Sunderland. Following his pas¬ 
torate the pulpit was filled in succession by the following, who 
either acted as regular pastors or as lay readers, serving in 
many instances in conjunction with other parish charges: Rev. 
Fortune C. Brown (intermittently) 1842-1844, with occasional 
assistance from Rev. Nathan Burgess; Rev. David M. Fackler, 
1845; Rev. William A. Matson,, 1847 (connected with Grace 
church, Waterville); Rev. Thomas. N. Benedict, 1849, who 
visited this parish only a few times. No regular services were 
held until 1853 when the Rev. E. W. Hagar of Clavville officiat¬ 
ed once a month and the pulpit was vacant again until 1856 
when occasional services were conducted by Dr. William T. 
Gibson of Waterville and Rev. J. E. Battin. In 1861 Rev. 
William J. Alger of Paris Hill held a few services and con¬ 
tinued to hold monthly services until 1867. The following were 
then in charge: Rev. J. B. Wicks, 1871; Rev. M. L. Kern of 
Clayville, 1872; Rev. C. H. Gardner, 1874; Rev. Thomas Bell, 
1875; Rev. George A. Chambers, 1876; Rev. J. B. Wicks, 1877- 
1881; Rev. Joel Davis, 1883-1886; Rev. B. E. Whipple, 1887- 
1888; Rev. W. B. Coleman, 1889; Rev. J. B. Avirett, 1893; Rev. 
E. B. Doolittle, 1894. 

In 1895 the new edifice was erected under the supervision 
of Rev. E. B. Doolittle. This structure when completed pre¬ 
sented an exceedingly fine and neat appearance, being furnished 
throughout with new and attractive furnishings. Rev. Mr. Hig- 











* 




I 

o 

cc 

D 

I 

o 

z 

o 

z 

D 

Q 

O 


CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH 


























HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


55 


gins was the next regular pastor. Rev. Mr. Evans of the Clay- 
ville church was the next officiating clergyman and from his 
departure until the present time the pulpit has been supplied at 
different times by lay readers who have rendered excellent 
service. 


BAPTIST CHURCH 

This church was constituted July 12, 1826, with sixteen 
members. Rev. Amasa Smith was the first pastor and labored 
here about nine years. He was succeeded by Rev. Jonathan P. 
Simmons in 1835 and among the other early pastors were Revs. 
Jason Corwin, Daniel Dye, P. W. Mills, D. W. Smith and J. H. 
Messenger. D. W. Smith at a later date took charge of the 
Female Seminary. 

The first church built by this society stood upon the hill 
west of the village (near the old cemetery) and was erected in 
1826. In 1840 it was removed nearer the center of the village 
and extensively repaired. About 1862 it was destroyed by fire. 
At that time the Baptists were not holding meetings in it, but 
it was occupied by the Methodists. The Episcopalians at the 
time were holding services in a small building owned by them 
which stood on the site of John Williams ’ residence and an 
agreement was made to move this to the Baptist ground, where 
all three denominations should conduct their meetings in it, 
and has since been known as the Union church. The Episco¬ 
palians were the last to hold services there but after they 
erected a new building the old one remained vacant, except for 
occasional town purposes, but is now in a state of decay. 

























4 























HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


57 


FRATERNITIES AND SOCIETIES 


WESTERN STAR LODGE NO. 15, F. & A. M. 

Western Star Lodge is tlie oldest Masonic lodge in the 
county. It was chartered at the settlement known as Farwell’s 
Hill, south of the village. Soon after the Lodge was instituted 
it built a hall, which now stands on the farm of Mrs. W. J. 
Scott and used as a tenant house. The lodge occupied this 
building until 1804 when it built the structure it now occupies 
but which was then located on South street on the site of the 
Cottage hotel f barn. Soon after the Perkins store burned 
(1857) the building was moved to the present location. About 
1892 the hall was repaired and refurnished and during the 
process the book containing the records of the early years 
was lost. 

During the years of agitation against Masonry, Western 
Star Lodge was one of the lodges that held meetings regularly. 
Lodges dropped out until the number, originally fifty-nine, 
became fifteen. It held together under difficulties and the 
loyal members were even forced to hold their meetings in the 
woods. During this period the Lodge was kept up by five men, 
Joshua Babcock, Thompson Holdridge, Samuel Richards, 
James Rhodes and Thomas Converse. 

The history of the Lodge dates from April 21, 1796, when 
twelve members of the craft living in and near Bridgewater 
petitioned for a charter, asking also and obtaining the consent 
of Amicable lodge of Whitestown. The names of the petition¬ 
ers, and their lodges as far as now known, are as follows: 
Ephraim Waldo, Amicable; Gurdon Thompson, Washington; 
Alexander Tackles, Temple, Vt.; Zadock Rider, Union; Robert 
Dixon, Pain; Levi Carpenter, Jr., Urial, Conn.; Thomas Brown, 
Joseph Farwell, Daniel Perkins, James Bolton, Isaac Mitchell 
and James Kinne. 

In January of the following year the charter was granted 



58 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


for the establishment of the new lodge, to be known as Western 
Star, and to be located at Bridgewater, in the town of Sanger- 
field, Herkimer county. It was not until May 18th of that 
year that the lodge actually commenced its independent life. 
On that date Jedidiah Sanger summoned the officers named in 
the warrant, together with the members of Amicable lodge, and 
in Amicable’s rooms in Whitestown, duly installed the first 
officers of Western Star. Those officers were James Kinne, 
Worshipful Master; Thomas Brown, Senior Warden; and 
Daniel Perkins, Junior Warden. The first regular meeting 
was held at the residence of Ephraim Waldo, in Bridgewater, 
on June 1st, 1797, when the other officers of the lodge were 
elected, but who they were the record fails to show other than 
that Guerdon Thompson was Secretary. Thus the light of 
Western Star was kindled. 

The first annual meeting was held December 7, 1797, and 
there were elected Thomas Brown, Worshipful Master; Daniel 
Perkins, Senior Warden; Levi Carpenter, Junior Warden; 
Charles Crosby, Secretary; and they were installed, so the 
record tells in quaint language, by James Kinne, Worshipful 
Master; Richard Sanger, Senior Warden; and George Halpin, 
Junior Warden; Amasa Andrews being present. 

The old charter, written on parchment, was signed by 
Robert Livingston, Grand Master; Jacob Morton, Deputy 
Grand Master; James Scott, Senior Grand Warden; Dewitt 
Clinton, Junior Grand Warden; John Abrams, Grand Secre¬ 
tary. The charter is dated January 18, 1797. It is still in 
possession of the Lodge and is preserved among the relics, but 
the Lodge works under a duplicate, granted by the Grand 
Lodge as the old one had become so worn and it was desirable 
to preserve the document because of its historic value. 
Through those years when Masonry was under public dis¬ 
pleasure and meetings had to be held in secrecy this charter 
was in the custody of Samuel Richards who had pockets made 
in his underclothing in which he carried it about on his person, 
not willing to leave it where it would not be under his personal 
protection. 

The Lodge also has a Bible, dated 1793, four years before 
the Lodge was instituted. This, too, has passed through the 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


59 


vicissitudes of age and persecution. It bears the imprint of 
Mark & Charles Kerr, Edinburgh, His Majesty’s Printers. 

The Lodge room contains several portraits of historic in¬ 
terest. One is that of Robert R. Livingston and is marked “In 
Memory of Frederick Peirce, Pioneer in Bridgewater, and in 
Western Star, Given by F. P. Peirce.” The other portraits 
are those of Samuel Richards, William Greenman, Hon. Alvah 
Penny, Samuel Button and W. J. Beal. 

The influence of Western Star Lodge upon Bridgewater 
and surrounding community has been recognized for many 
years. It has done much to promote the lofty teachings and 
principles of the order and incorporate them into the life of 
the people. 

Its jurisdiction includes the village of Bridgewater, Una- 
dilla Forks, Leonardsville and Brookfield. 

A fair was held in 1908 which placed the society upon a 
firm financial basis and is now in a prosperous condition and 
contains in its membership many men of prominence in the 
outside world. 

The present officers are: William E. Owens, Worshipful 
Master; Adon P. Brown, Senior Warden; Howard C. Miller, 
Junior Warden; Aaron Mather, Treasurer; Henry C. Sorn, 
Secretary; Leslie P. Curtis, Chaplain; Frank J. Southworth, 
Senior Deacon; Leland W. Livermore, Junior Deacon; Chester 
Clark, Senior Master of Ceremonies; Homer Hacklev, Junior 
Master of Ceremonies; George W. Bailey, Tiler; Merton C. 
Rogers, Marshal; John S. Wheeler, Organist; Trustees, W. J. 
Beal*, C. H. Clark, W. H. Rowland. 

One of the prominent members whose memory is revered 
was James Avery Rhodes of Babcock Hill. In his declining 
years when about ninety years of age he wrote two letters to 
the Lodge which have been preserved and framed and occupy 
a place in the Lodge room. Their message meant much to the 
members of the order and are reproduced here; as follows: 

* Deceased. 

Babcock Hill, N. Y., December 26, 1883. 
Brothers of Western Star Lodge, No. 15: 

I received notice of attendance from your respected secretary. 

In my advanced old age I can not with propriety attend evening ses¬ 
sions. Sixty-five years ago and many years after I have seen your hall 


60 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


filled with the most respected part of the community from all the 
surrounding towns. Many a. time and oft have I met them there 
when friendship and brotherly love filled every heart and the domi¬ 
nant emulation was: “Who can best work and who can best agree.” 

My time is, of course, short. I hope the Supreme Architect, 
whose Temple is all space, whose altar is earth, sea and skies, will 
enable me through Him who went on High to prepare a place for us 
to lay hold on the stars and bid the world pass on. There is no 
institution in the world that can show so clean a record as yours. 
Long may it wave is the wish of your humble servant and brother, 

J. A. RHODES. 

Babcock Hill, N. Y., Dec. 15, 18S5. 

Brethren of Western Star Lodge: 

Our worthy brother, John W. Collins, is no more. He was made a 
Mason in our lodge in 1822, subsequently of the Chapter, and had his 
residence in Toledo, Ohio, and a prominent member throughout. The 
above occurrence reminds me of my membership in 1819. I was then 
permitted to enter the portals of your lodge. There I saw a worthy 
representation from the four adjoining counties, Oneida, Madison, 
Otsego and Herkimer, the Judiciary, the Medical, the Military and 
the Colonial. Also the church from the eldest St. Peter’s to the 
youngest Noncombatant Quaker. The Lodge was presided over by 
that old Masonic Patriarch, Israel Brewer. Well do I remember his 
charge to me as a member of Western Star Lodge to be cautious over 
all my words and actions and as a Mason to walk upright before God 
and man. 

There I saw in place among other things the warrant dated Janu¬ 
ary 18,1797, by which the Lodge was organized. There I saw the name 
in signature of the Hon. Robert R. Livingston, the companion and 
associate of Washington, Franklin, Adams, Hancock, Warren and 
others, whose names will live in history when the builders of the 
cloud-capped towers of the old world will be forgotten. 

Being now in my ninety-sixth year, my trembling knees and palpi¬ 
tating heart warn me that my sands are nearly out of the hour glass 
and hope my Masonic Brothers will smooth the turf under which they 
are invited to deposit my remains in the Bridgewater cemetery at a 
proper time. Farewell, Brothers. 

J. AVERY RHODES. 


KISMET CHAPTER , 0. E. S. 

Kismet Chapter, No. 217, O. E. S., was.organized Anril 27, 
1901, hv Mrs. Betsy M. Ballon. District Deputy Grand Matron, 
of the Twelfth Eastern Star District, with a full staff of officers 
from Ivy Chapter. No. 65, of Utica, N. Y. 

There were fifteen charter members with Carolyn It. Terry, 
Worthy Matron, and William J. Beal, Worthy Patron. 

Western Star Lodge, No. 15, F. & A. M. gave the sisters the 
use of their hall, thus beginning a long list of kindnesses shown 
the young sisterhood. 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


61 


A charter was granted by the Grand Chapter of the State 
of New York October 10,1901, and the Chapter was constituted 
by Mrs. Ella L. F. Nicholson, District Deputy Grand Matron, 
October 31,1901. 

During this year seven members were initiated, making 
a membership of twenty-two. The next year two members 
were added. 

In December new officers were elected with Mrs. Maud R. 
Peirce as Worthy Matron and Franklin J. Southworth, Worthy 
Patron. The next year only one member was added. 

During the fourth and fifth years several members re¬ 
moved to other localities, little interest was shown, and the 
outlook was a gloomy one. Only by the faithfulness of a few 
was the charter saved. 

After careful consideration it was decided that Kismet 
Chapter rent their present rooms over Rising’s store and to 
change the place and hour of meeting to enable them to meet 
at the same hour that Western Star Lodge held their meetings. 
The result was all that could be desired. Kismet Chapter 
began to grow rapidly. One hundred and thirty persons have 
been members of the Chapter, of whom eighty-six are still 
members. 

In February, 1908 eleven members withdrew and on March 
10 Winfield Chapter was organized by them as charter mem¬ 
bers. 

The first officers have been: Worthy Matrons, Carolyn R. 
Terry, Maud R. Peirce, Kittie E. Beal, Kate L. Woodworth, 
Ellen A. Moses, Phoebe D. Hoxie, Anna D. Matteson, Alida B. 
Randall; Worthy Patrons, W. J. Beal, F. J. Southworth, T. D. 
Carter, W. H. Jones, Andrew McCarthy, Brother Beal serving 
six of the nearly nine years of their existence. The Chapter is 
in a flourishing condition with a good outlook for the future. 


UNADILLA VALLEY GRANGE 

Unadilla Valley Grange, No. 1152, was organized December 
22, 1908, with thirty members. C. H. Clark, who is called the 



<82 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


father of the Grange, was the first Master. He occupied the 
chair two years. He was succeeded by Myron Brown, Homer 
Hackley, W. H. Jones and Harold Fitch, who has been re-elected 
for the year 1915. The Lecturers for this time were Mattie 
Hackley, Minnie Stevens, Jane Langworthy, Anna Walsh, 
Evelyn Whitmore and Elizabeth Scott. The fifth anniversary 
was celebrated with a very enjoyable banquet. It has at pres¬ 
ent 100 members. A site has been given for a hall by I. E. 
Stevens and $1500 subscribed to build the same. The Grange 
rooms are now located on the upper floor of the Doolittle block. 
State Master Godfrey has paid it a visit. It must be counted 
among the valuable assets in the community, contributing 
■socially, educationally and profitably. 


WOMAN'S ART CLUB 

The Woman’s Art Club of Bridgewater was organized in 
January, 1881, and its work has ever since gone on without 
interruption. 

It is believed to be the oldest society of its kind in this 
section of the State. At its beginning six ladies, who had been 
taking painting lessons of Miss Ella M. Gardner, agreed when 
their teacher left them to go on with their work and to meet at 
stated intervals to criticize and help each other. Each member 
was allowed to bring a friend to the meetings and usually had 
some form of literary entertainment, an essay or sketch of an 
artist or his work and always an enjoyable time socially and 
the membership gradually increased. Their name was then 
* ‘Salmagundi.’ ’ A president and vice-president were elected 
annually, Mrs. Emily P. Peirce serving as president the first 
five years. 

With the larger membership the social character of the club 
developed rapidly and the membership increased to thirty-five. 

In 1886 rules and regulations were adopted and the name 
changed to The Woman’s Art Club and began to study, using 
DeForest’s Short History of Art as a text book. With the aid 
of books and illustrated magazines the foundation of a knowl- 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


63 


edge of the world’s greatest artists was laid. 

In 1891, when the History of Art was finished, the member¬ 
ship had fallen to eighteen. They then began to study the his¬ 
tory of European countries with their literature and art.. 
Rome came first, and their authority was principally Hare’s 
Walks in Home . Afterward in the following order they studied 
in the same way, Florence, Venice, Holland, Germany, England* 
Spain and France. 

On October 17, 1896, it was voted to become a registered 
club in the Extension Department of the University of the 
State of New York. Since then they have had a Traveling 
Library. The first years they had twenty-five books. For the 
years since 1900 they have had fifty or seventy-five books on 
the subject each year. 

The present Constitution and By-Laws were adopted 
August 25,1899. 

In October, 1902, they began the history of United States 
from the earliest times, and continued to study our country till 
1908. Since then we have visited by book Mexico, Japan, 
China, Russia and India. We are now taking a three years 
course on the State of New York. In 1908 they visited by 
book Mexico and this year they are visiting Japan and its won¬ 
derful people. 

The number is limited to twenty-five and now have a mem¬ 
bership of twenty-five with one honorary member. Several 
names are being considered by the membership committee. 

The meetings are held once in every month at the homes of 
the members, each taking their turn in alphabetical order in 
entertaining the club, conducting the lesson and doing other 
necessary work. The officers are elected annually; the present 
executive board are President, Miss Grace E. Brown; First 
Vice-President, Mrs. Anna F. Rising; Second Vice-President, 
Miss Lelia B. Palmer; Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer, 
Miss Elizabeth Penney; Librarian, Mrs. Minnie Stevens. 

They celebrated our first, fifth, tenth, twentieth, twenty- 
fifth and thirtieth anniversaries by holding receptions and 
banquets. 

July 25, 1913, the Club met with Mrs. Emily Peirce when 
the six original members were together for the last time. Ip 


64 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


less than two weeks their hostess and first president had passed 
away. Nine names are now listed 41 In Memoriam . 11 

In the earliest days of the club and when they were strug¬ 
gling for existence and recognition their efforts were ridiculed 
and motives misunderstood. At this time a feeling of mutual 
helpfulness and benefit was established among them and the 
recollection of those early days has bound them closely together 
as they earnestly endeavor to be a means of culture for 
themselves and to be an inspiration to those about them. It is 
remarkable the perfect harmony that has existed among the 
members. So deep an interest is felt in the work of the club 
that no matter how intense the heat of summer, the impassibil¬ 
ity of the highways, or the fierce storms of winter, the ladies 
may be seen on their way to attend the meetings some of whom 
must travel each time several times to the gathering place. 
Qualities of patience and perseverence flourish among them 
and however much they may delight in recalling the past they 
are looking forward to the future, trying to make the most of 
their opportunities and to leave on record their efforts for the 
advancement of womankind. 



















. ■ .. ' - ■ • - ■ • • 

' • m I 





















































































































. 






























I 






I 


# 


BRIDGEWATER UNION SCHOOL 




































HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


65 


SCHOOLS 


’Tis education forms the common mind; 

Just as the twig is bent, the tree’s inclined. 

The pioneers realized the great importance of educational 
advantages and appreciated the blessings derived from an en¬ 
lightened mind. They did not need a compulsory education law 
to impress it upon their attention that the young must be 
trained and prepared to take their places in the world. Amid 
the toils of a backwoodsman’s life and in the midst of many 
deprivations this need was ever in mind and as soon as a foot¬ 
ing had been secured in their new home they set earnestly to 
work to establish institutions of learning. True it is that they 
were rude structures, hewed as it were from the forest itself, 
and the youth of that day had no comforts of warmth or ready 
conveniences at their command. Often they were obliged to 
travel miles to reach the school in all kinds of weather but such 
experiences as these w T as the common lot of their time and such 
obstacles were only means of developing in them that vigorous, 
hardy spirit that conquered all difficulties with which they met. 
The school children of today little realize or can appreciate 
their privileges or great advantages unless they have instilled 
into their minds the mighty sacrifices that were necessary be¬ 
fore such improvements could be accomplished. 

Schools were taught early in the Farwell neighborhood 
but they were few and scattering. About 1796-1797 a log 
school house was built a mile north of North Bridgewater. The 
building known as “the old red school house” was destroyed by 
fire in 1855. This was located on the site of the wood colored 
house near Edward McDermott’s farm. In the fall of the 
same year school was opened in the building which was formerly 
C. O. Palmer’s wagon shop and was then situated in the corner 
of the Langworthy lot. Mrs. Mary Wilkes and Miss Maria 
Sheldon were the teachers. School was held here until the fol¬ 
lowing spring when a new building was erected on the site of 
the old one. Anna S. Hall was the first teacher. At times the 
capacity was not large enough to accommodate the great num- 


66 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


ber of pupils and as there was only one teacher a division was 
made and a primary department was held in the upper rooms 
of the Peirce tenant house by the creek, the building now 
occupied by George Tripp. The school south of the village 
continued in that service until 1881. 

An academy was established at Bridgewater village in 1826 
and discontinued in 1839. This building was located between 
the residence of Dr. Whitford and the creek. A part of the 
same building is still standing and helps to form Dr. Whitford’s 
barn and another part was used in the construction of the 
present Doolittle block. During the first years of the existence 
of this academy it was very prosperous and had an average 
attendance of one hundred pupils. A building, 58x36 feet, was 
erected at a cost of $2500 and was built of heavy hewed timbers. 
There were three floors above the stone and brick basement, 
which contained two huge brick ovens. This school contained 
a good chemical apparatus and it also maintained a library. 
After discontinuing this academy it was used as a select school. 
Much of it had fallen into decay by 1842 and one room was used 
at that time for a store by Delos and Samuel DeWolf until the 
building was bought by Dr. Whitford and disposed of in the 
manner mentioned above. 

Another school known as the Bridgewater Seminary was 
established in December, 1847, and in May, 1849, its name was 
changed to the ‘ 1 Bridgewater Female Seminary . 1 ’ The depart¬ 
ment of music had a high reputation and many attended. This 
school in 1851 was under the supervision of Rev. D. W. Smith, 
a former pastor of the Baptist church. This school was very 
prosperous and had a large attendance but finally declined and 
at length was discontinued. The building used for this semi¬ 
nary is now used as a residence and stands at the head of the 
street known as ‘ ‘ the Lane. 1 ’ 

The school south of the village was continued as a common 
school until 1881 when it was voted to make it a Union School 
and a tax of $2000 was ordered to be raised for the new build¬ 
ing. This structure was ejected in 1882 and continued as a 
Union school until the principalship of J. B. Swinney in the year 
1901 when by his earnest and strenuous efforts it w^as raised to 
the standing of a high school and brought to a flourishing con- 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


67 


dition. This was continued as a high school until 1908 when the 
standard was again iowered to that of a union school. Fol¬ 
lowing is the list of principals: L. D. Browne, 1882-1884; 
George A. Knapp, 1884-1885; J. K. Barclay, 1885-1886; Mr. 
Severance, 1886-1887; F. M. Westfall, 1887-1889; W. L. Avery, 
1889-1891; S. D. Butler, 1892-January, 1897; William D. Mor¬ 
row, spring of 1897-fall of 1898; A. L. Smith, 1899-Marcli, 
1901; J. B. Swinney, March, 1901-1902; A. A. Upham, 1902- 
1903; F. J. Salter, i903-1906; Luther Moses, 1906-1907; C. H. 
Jones, 1907-1909; R. B. Graves, 1909-1911; H. L. Gillis, 1911- 
1913; Earle Stanley Lougee, 1913- 

Principal Lougee is to be highly commended on the splen¬ 
did service he has rendered the school in bringing it up to the 
present high standard of excellency. 

The present Board of Education consists of the following 
members: President, L. P. Curtis; Clerk, H. C. Rogers; Wil¬ 
liam Pritchard, Irving Stevens, John Walsh. 




HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


69 


STAGE COACH DAYS 


“Yoho! past streams, in which the cattle cool their feet and where 
the rushes grow; past farms and rickyards; past last year’s stacks, 
cut slice by slice away, and showing in the waning light like ruined 
gables, old and brown. Yoho! Yoho! through ditch and brake, upon 
the plowed land and the smooth, along the steep hillside and steeper 
wall, as if it were a phantom hunter. Clouds, too! And a mist upon 
the hollow! Yoho! Why, now we travel like the moon herself; hid¬ 
ing this minute in a grove of trees; next minute in a patch of vapor; 
emerging now upon our broad, clear course; withdrawing now, but 
always dashing on—our journey is a counterpart of hers. Yoho! A 
match against the moon. Yoho! Yoho!”—Dickens. 

In the days when the great stagecoach rattled along our 
highways Bridgewater was a very important center and it is 
indeed hard to imagine that it was a far more important com¬ 
mercial center than Utica. People came here from many miles 
around to trade. The Cherry Valley turnpike was a great 
transportation highway between Albany and Syracuse and most 
of the traffic between these points went through here. Also it 
was the direct stage route between Utica and New Berlin and 
the lines intersected here, making it a transfer point. 

Stories of the old stage days are numerous. There was the 
same bustle and excitement, and even more so, when the 
covered, four-horse coaches, containing sometimes as many as 
twenty passengers, arrived and left than there is now at our 
railroad stations. The tooting horn announced the stage’s 
near approach and all was hurry and excitement. One or two 
incidents will reflect something of the manner of the drivers 
and the stage coaches of those days. Usually when the great 
top-heavy coach was loaded and everybody was packed in, the 
driver came out with a great flourish, gave a leap to the seat 
and with a snap of his lashed whip and a yell the horses moved 
off with a jump. This was all a part of the procedure and the 
stage driver who lacked any of this enthusiasm was not con¬ 
sidered fit for the job. On one occasion it is related, which was 
one of similar occasions, the driver gave a yell too soon, or at 
least had not got hold of the reins and the horses, darting for¬ 
ward, made the turn to go north to Utica and turned too short 
and the stage toppled over. It was loaded inside and out to its 


70 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


full capacity and many were injured. They were mostly 
Quakers from the West, who had been in attendance at a great 
meeting of Quakers at Morris. On another occasion the stage 
started up so quickly as to precipitate a man who was sitting 
back of the driver. He fell over backward, striking the ground 
on his head and shoulders and sustained injuries from which 
he died. 

11^ is hard to convey to the people of this generation any¬ 
thing of the activity along the Cherry Valley turnpike. Men 
who are now living relate that when boys they sat on the steps 
of their homes and saw droves of cattle, horses and sheep pass 
by for many hours. Until 1843 all stock for Eastern markets 
was driven over this turnpike to Albany. After that date 
stock was usually transported over the New York Central. 
Every tavern had its stock yard located where the stock was 
fed and cared for in every way. Eighteen stage horses were 
kept standing in Bridgewater barns all the time for substitutes 
when other stage horses had traveled their limited stretch. 
Taverns were numerous about Bridgewater. The highway 
which is now a state road north to Utica and which extends 
south to New Berlin was known as the old Utica-Bridgewater 
Plank Road Company and for many years was planked. When 
the new state road was constructed north of the village several 
of these planks were unearthed. Most goods roads were pri¬ 
vate enterprises at that time and the toll gates, which still 
remain a memory to many of this time, were then an established 
institution. One was located at North Bridgewater where the 
railroad crosses the highway; another just south of the village, 
just below the farm of Giles Scott; one near West Winfield and 
another west of the town near the Bellfield district. These toll 
gates were stationed at all entrances of the town. The toll was 
about four cents per horse, six cents for one horse and carriage, 
a shilling a pair, two cents for sheep, two cents for horseback 
rider and some commutation to regular patrons who lived in the 
vicinity. It is related that back in the early days, as well as 
later days of the toll system, that now and then travelers de¬ 
lighted in beating the toll gate keepers. A frequent method 
used was to pass through and promise to pay when returning 
and the traveler took occasion to come back by some other way. 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


71 


Stories are also told where drivers have rushed at break-neck 
speed through the gate, pulling on the reins with all their 
strength, seemingly attempting to pull the horse to a standstill. 
The harder the driver pulled the faster the horse ran for he 
had been trained to do so. 

Taverns were located all along the route and were import¬ 
ant factors in the life of the day. The Harrison Briggs house 
which burned a few years ago was formerly a hotel and kept by 
Moses Ward. When the Center church was in existence the 
people came for all day services and before the church was 
heated, the people were accustomed to seek the warmth and 
glow of this tavern fireside and replenish their foot stoves for 
the further services of the day. The Tuckerman house was 
also a tavern. The Rising store was originally a tavern and 
the old original floor is still in the building underneath the 
upper floor. The house where Eugene True now resides was 
at one time a tavern but at a later date the structure was 
lowered and made into a private residence. The old hotel 
which stands by Byron Murray’s on Hackley street was at one 
time located on the road to West Winfield, west of Frank Mur¬ 
ray’s present farm. 


























































































HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


73 


BUILDINGS 

The brick building where E. M. & H. 0. Eising are located 
was originally used for a hotel. It was continued for some 
time for that purpose and then transformed into a store by 
Deloss DeWolfe in 1843. He was followed in the business by 
the partners, Eussell & Mott, and they were succeeded by 
Samuel DeWolfe. William Greenman was the next merchant 
and the business has been conducted in succession by the fol¬ 
lowing : Henry Eobinson, Williams & Bort, W. H. Greenman, 
George Greenman, Eising Bros, and E. M. & H. 0. Eising. 

The store which stood on the site of the present Masonic 
building was destroyed by fire in 1857, as were also the adjoin¬ 
ing buildings to the right. A. M. Perkins occupied the place 
at the time and after the fire he opened a store in the building 
which is now the Cottage hotel. Frank Malloy at one time 
conducted a hardware store here. This was sold about 1868 
to J. C. Folts, who conducted a store here. It was used for this 
purpose for several years but was finally sold and transformed 
into a hotel In 1864 the Masonic building, which was located 
on South street on the site of the Cottage hotel barn, was moved 
to the place where the Perkins store was burned and C. W. 
Stoddard opened the lower part as a general store and the 
upper rooms were used by the lodge. Th remaining vacant lot 
was then rebuilt and Isaac Woodworth opened a grocery store 
on the corner. Fred Utter and Samuel Griffin also conducted 
business here. This was occupied later by James Howe for a 
hardware store and now contains the Helmer Undertaking 
rooms. C. W. Stoddard continued in business for twenty-eight 
years and then sold to H. C. Eogers. A small building at the 
right of this store was at one time used for a boot manufactory 
and conducted by Lyman Strictland. Here were employed 
quite a number of workmen and boots were made and shipped 
in barrels to Chicago. 

The original store, which formed the rear part of W. H. 
Eowland’s store was at one time used for a shoe shop. After 
serving this purpose Alfred Bliven opened it as a store and 


74 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


finally sold to the partners Marsh & Turner. Their successors 
have been: I. D. Peckham, W. C. Marsh, T. D. Carter, Beals & 
Rowland and W. H. Rowland. This building, together with the 
meat market adjoining and the Cottage Hotel barn was de¬ 
stroyed by fire in September, 1913. 

In the early Fifties B. F. Rindge kept hotel in the building 
which was on the site of the present Doolittle Block. He was 
followed by John Bowker. In 1857 the building was burned 
and Mr. Bowker moved to the building now the Hibbard House, 
which was built by Levi Bostwick about 1812 and he was the 
landlord for a number of years. A brick building opposite was 
built for a hotel by Harvey Curtis, who kept it many years. It 
was at one time known as the Beebe House, but has been called 
by the present name since A. C. Hibbard was the proprietor. 
The building has been enlarged from time to time and in various 
way improved. 

About 1867 Alfred Bliven moved part of the old Academy 
on the corner opposite the Hibbard House, where the hotel had 
previously burned and after enlarging it, opened a hotel. Wil¬ 
liam Wilson was at one time proprietor and from him derived 
the name of the Wilson House. It was used for a hotel for 
some time and then remained vacant. It was finally sold to a 
Mr. Doolittle of Utica and has since been known as the Doo¬ 
little Block and has been put to the various uses of stores, 
apartments and entertainment halls. 

The building which was formerly used by C. 0. Palmer as 
a shop was at one time a distillery and the livery stable near 
was for many years used both for a tannery and a boot manu¬ 
factory. It was then changed to a cheese factory and conducted 
for many years by Zenas Eldred and has since been used for a 
livery barn. 

At one time a cooper’s shop was located between the resi¬ 
dences of E. M. Rising and M. D. Willis. Thomas Parkinson, 
father of T. W. Parkinson, once conducted a tailoring establish¬ 
ment in the old brick store and employed several hands. 

A wagon shop was located at one time on the site of the 
R. J. Wilkinson house. This was later finished off by Jacob 
Spring and the front part was used as a dwelling and the rear 
section served as a blacksmith shop. Mr. Spring sold this 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


75 


building to Heman Seifert and he in turn sold to R. J. Wilkin¬ 
son. This building was destroyed by fire and Mr. Wilkinson 
soon erected a new house and a shop was also built a short 
distance away. 

The building known as the “ Broker ’’ Jones shop, which 
stood on the west side of the creek near Dr. Whitford’s, was 
built by Prentiss Brown for a blacksmith shop. Later George 
Latus conducted a blacksmith shop here and lived in the Porter 
house. This building stood for a great many years in a delapi- 
dated condition and was helped to its ruin one celebration night 
when several men and boys of the town fastened ropes around 
it and lowered it to the ground. 










HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


77 


DESCENDANTS OF EARLY SETTLERS 


The following is a collection of short sketches of the descendants 
of the early settlers of Bridgewater. The lack of uniformity of style 
is due to the fact that these outlines and sketches were gathered from 
different sources and prepared by several individuals. The various 
notes give an idea of these family representatives down to the presnt 
day. 

IVES FAMILY 

Joel Ives married Annie Goodwin from Connecticut. They 
had three children, Julia, Joel and Lucy. Julia married Mar¬ 
vin Scott. Their six children were Joel, Cornelia, Giles, Julia, 
Willard and Emily. 

Willard married Emeline Munn. Three children were 
born to them, of whom only one daughter, Lizzie, who married 
Dr. Ward, is living and has three daughters, Annah, Margaret 
and Cornelia. 

Giles married Elizabeth Babcock. They had two sons, 
Irving and Lorin. 

Lorin married Clara Ferris of Auburn. They have six 
children, Giles, Fred, Charles, Earl, Irving and Elizabeth. 
Giles married Harriet Palmer and they have four children, 
Palmer, Willard, Hosmer and Helen. Charles married Minnie 
Davis and they have one daughter, Marian Lucy. Irving mar¬ 
ried Beth Hartshorn of Hamilton and they have one son, Regi¬ 
nald Hartshorn. 

Emily married John Tuckerman. They have two children, 
Bertha and George. 

Joel, the son of Joel Ives died after his marriage and the 
other daughter, Lucy, married Benjamin Maxon (a Sabbata¬ 
rian). They had two children, Sofia and Rufus and lived in 
Jefferson county. Joel Ives’ widow (Annie Goodwin) married 
for her second husband, Epaphroditus Foote. (This line of 
descent can be traced through the Foote family on another 
page.) 

WALDO FAMILY 

Ephraim Waldo had five sons and four daughters. Two 


78 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


sons died in childhood. Caroline married Alvin Blackman; 
she and her two children died. Her husband, Alvin Blackman 
afterward married Harriet Waldo; no children were born to 
them. Sarah married W. W. Blackman; one son and one 
daughter were born to them, both of whom are living at present, 
Mrs. Bailey and Dr. W. W. Blackman. Dimmick married 
Orrisa Johnston Clark; one son and two daughters were born 
to them, all of whom are dead. Wellington never married; he 
is now dead. Eunice married Thomas Parkinson; two sons 
were born to them, one of whom survives, T. W. Parkinson. 
Alvin, the youngest, never married; he is still living. T. W. 
Parkinson has two sons, Clarence and Floyd. Clarency mar¬ 
ried S. Belle Rowsan and they have two children, Clarence and 
Thomas. Floyd married Clara N. Hess. 


PEIRCE FAMILY 

Not long ago a man noted for his literature and oratory 
ended a cross-country outing at Bridgewater. At least there 
is ground for the belief that he considered his journey happily 
ended with a brief stay there, for afterward, at the close of one 
of his most charming lectures he described his wanderings and 
the old village and its people, drawing for his hearers a fascin¬ 
ating word-picture of the winding, willow-fringed river, the 
name of which, Unadilla, and the attractiveness which it sug¬ 
gested to him, he declared well fitted it to become the appella¬ 
tion of a girl. 

Others, too, have been drawn to this pleasant country, and 
like him, have found within its boundaries their ideal. One 
such set out in the year 1796 from Stonington, Connecticut. 
Six feet, two and one-half inches tall, carrying with ease on his 
broad shoulders the necessary accoutrements, for the journey 
and his stay, he found little difficulty in making his way on foot 
along the Hudson and Mohawk and into the wilderness of the 
“Chenango Twenty Towns laid out on the Unadilla River.’’ 
There his orderly mind, restrained by Quaker discipline and 
developed by a training in one of the learned professions, 
caused him to discern the free outlook which his ambition 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


79 


sought and led him to become one of Bridgewater’s pioneers. 
That man was Frederick Peirce. 

Like all settlers he * ‘ took up land. ’ ’ The plot was near the 
“Center.” At once, single handed, he proceeded with charac¬ 
teristic vigor and thoroughness to clear a field and sow it with 
wheat and to erect the inevitable log house. This building, one 
of the first in town, stood on the east side of what is now the 
“State Road” about three hundred feet south-east of the 
Chapin homestead of today, on a site about a hundred feet back 
from the highway. 

Twice again this stalwart pioneer covered the ground be¬ 
tween Bridgewater and Stonington, once at the end of the first 
summer and again in the following spring. The latter trip, 
like both of the others, was on foot, but on this occasion it was 
at the side of the horse bearing Mary Oaks, his bride, and all of 
their worldly goods. 

Little is known of the life of this worthy couple in their 
new log cabin home. Certain it is that hard work and homely 
fare soon brought all the comforts then deemed necessary and 
proper. The story of a single event, however, survives. It is 
to the effect that on a certain occasion the family’s only cow 
strayed from her usual grazing ground and that before she had 
been found roaming the forest-covered East Street neighbor¬ 
hood, a large black bear was encountered by the searcher. 
Bruin was near the trout brook so well known to modern fisher¬ 
men, and was inclined to dispute the crossing. In driving off 
the prowler and in finally discovering the whereabouts of the 
cow valuable assistance is said to have been rendered by a dog 
named Bose whose general good qualities were so unusual as to 
almost make it seem that an injustice has been done in not 
bestowdng the name on others of his tribe to this day, as a 
memorial of his fine qualities. The whole incident seems to 
have been devoid of disaster, yet it must have been fraught 
with elements of great importance, else why should it have been 
preserved and its frequent recital received with awe by each 
generation, even to the fourth! 

After a time the family removed to North Bridgewater, no 
great distance, indeed, but to more comfortable quarters and 
among more numerous neighbors. The house occupied stood 


80 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


nearly opposite the present site of the Hotel, and a portion of 
it now forms a part of the Albert Parkhnrst residence. Here, 
again, the family’s life developed little which then or now could 
be of public interest, and this record may be closed after noting 
a few matters indicative of its member’s sterling character¬ 
istics. 

Primarily, Frederick Peirce was a farmer. Education had 
fitted him to take a high place in the profession which is now 
known as engineering, but which in that early day found little 
opportunity outside of the military camp or the occasional work 
of the land surveyor. To him, therefore, naturally was intrust¬ 
ed the task of planing the system of highways required for the 
development of the new town, and the records in the Clerk’s 
office show that nearly all in use today are the result of his care¬ 
ful study. To his lasting credit, it should be noted, that some 
of the hilliest and least used do not form a part of his work. 

With the assistance of five daughters and two sons, the 
family long and diligently endeavored to introduce into Bridge- 
water the culture of silk. In this they achieved a degree of 
success, but its value consisted more in demonstrating the fact 
that the severe winters made the growing of the indispensible 
mulberry trees too uncertain to make the industry a paying one. 
The undertaking was kept up, however, until the ladies of the 
family were well supplied with silk garments produced, dyed, 
spun and woven by themselves. To such achievement they 
added the then common ones of supplying the woolen, linen and 
leather necessary for the whole family. A neighboring hatter 
worked the raw wool into felt hats and the itinerant shoe maker 
made the year’s supply of boots and shoes, the material for all 
coming from their own farm. In fact, at one time apparently 
everything needed for their comfort and convenience, except 
iron and glass, was the result of the well directed and united 
efforts of the family applied to their own acres. Such frugality 
and industry tended in no wise to narrow the minds or shorten 
the mental vision of these worthy Connecticut Yankees or their 
descendants. 

Frederick Peirce was in no sense a politician, and rarely an 
office holder, yet he was as active and keen in his patriotism as 
be might have been had the opportunity and his adherence to 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER ftf 

Quaker principles allow him a place in his grandfather, CapL 
Benjamin Peirce’s company at Bunker Hill. He was a Free 
Mason, made such when Washington directed the policy of the 
order. His handwriting in the now lost hook of records of 
Western Star Lodge, at one time and another read and identi¬ 
fied by members of his family, show him to have been in fre¬ 
quent attendance at meetings in the early days. 

One daughter and one son continued to live in Bridgewater. 
Guided in youth by probity and austerity they allowed no devia¬ 
tion therefrom in after life. 

The daughter, Maria Peirce, was to a ripe old age a nurse ? 
well trained in the practical school of that day, and many there 
are now living, who treasure with affection the memory of her 
soothing and healing ministrations. 

The son, Nehemiah Nathaniel Peirce, popularly known as 
“the Colonel’’ on account of his military services as such, fol¬ 
lowed the example of his father both as to education and gen¬ 
eral business pursuits, departing therefrom only when for a 
brief time he was most successfully in charge of the sales de¬ 
partment of the old Millard farm implement factory at Clay- 
ville. 

In politics he was steadfastly Republican. Loyalty to ttjte 
organization invariably led him to support its candidates, the 
only exception being in favor of his boyhood and lifelong friend 
William Croft Ruger, the Bridgewater lawyer who became a 
Chief Judge of our Court of Appeals. On many occasions he 
was chosen by the electorate to responsible office. Once he 
represented his district in the Assembly and in recognition of 
his services there was formally honored by receiving the “free¬ 
dom of the City” of Utica. It is probable that he might have 
been sent to the Senate had he not declined the choice of the 
convention, a nomination by which was then equivalent to an 
election. 

To him unquestionably belongs the credit of securing for 
his town its first railroad. As the result of his unaided effort 
the preliminary work which was followed by the construction of 
the railroad down the Unadilla Valley to New Berlin, wa$- 
carried on, in recognition of which he was selected to turn the 
first spadeful of earth when the work thereon was finally begun,, 


*S2 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


In early manhood only did he live on a farm. There he was 
one of the first, if not actually the first, to engage in hop culture, 
in Bridgewater. Of this beginning it is needless to say more 
than that it surely lead to the development of a vast industry 
which was the means of bringing great wealth and a maximum 
population to the town. His cheese factory was the first of its 
'kind in his part of the State. It must not be understood that 
cheese was not made in Bridgewater before his factory was 
established, rather that he was the first to produce it by such 
method, an example soon and widely followed. 

Brick making also claimed his attention. So long as ma¬ 
terial was available his plant was in operation, furnishing em¬ 
ployment to many laborers. 

It was always a source of pride for him to relate that he 
mumbered among his friends the neighbor who invented and 
first manufactured the revolving horse-rake, that unique labor- 
saving farm implement which to this day is used in its original 
form in every civilized country. The probable effect on the 
•town had the inventor patented his idea and confined manu¬ 
facture to his home locality was always a source of speculation, 
to which he sometimes added the possibilities which might arise 
from a test development of the coal discovered in the east hills. 

In 1860 he married Emily Pullman, of Norway, this State. 
This lady brought to his home and community all the practices 
and customs of the Hugenots, Americanized through two cen¬ 
turies at New Rochelle and New Paltz. To these traits were 
abundantly added a culture and capability for broadening and 
Better influences entrusted to few, and that she strove untiringly 
to use these gifts for the good of others is amply testified in 
many ways. Two examples only, may be noted, each typical in 
its way of her ideal of neighborhood life. 

Joining with her a half dozen ladies of kindred aims the “ Art 
'Club” was formed. This organization is too well known to 
require any description here, the fact that the purposes of its 
founders has continued to be realized through so many years 
that among women’s clubs it now has no senior, sufficiently indi- 
<cating its worth. 

To some there comes the opportunity and inclination to 
Build hospitals or churches, libraries or halls, or to create foun- 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


83T 


dations for widespread good or the perpetuation of a name* 
Denied the means of such achievements, this woman, at seventy- 
five years of age, availed herself of an opportunity as she saw it,, 
by establishing a nursery in which she raised from seeds plant¬ 
ed by herself, ornamental trees for free distribution, expecting- 
no reward save the satisfaction which came from the desire to. 
beauty and render more attractive the community in which she 
had spent the best of her life and effort. Already some hun¬ 
dreds of these trees have filled barren stretches and are promis¬ 
ing the charm of shaded streets and lawns. 

Such lives as these here mentioned, the living of which 
comprehend a century and more, have helped to make Bridge- 
water’s history. There can be no doubt that they contributed 
to the alluring qualities of people and place which the lecturer 
found and described, and certain it is that their influence has 
not yet ceased. 

Frederick P. Peirce of New York is the only son of Nehe- 
miali N. Peirce. He married Maud Ross of Bridgewater and 
they have one daughter, Helen. 

SOUTHWORTH FAMILY 

Rev. James Southworth, tenth generation from the Ply¬ 
mouth ancestors, was born January 30th, 1769 and settled in- 
Bridgewater in 1803. He organized the first church in the 
town and preached there twenty-three years and also preached 
at Paris Hill, Plainfield and Burlington. He had ten children, 
three of whom settled near Bridgewater, Dennison, John and 
Henry. James Southworth died at Bridgewater in 1826. 
John, born July 6th, 1797, married Harriet Hunt of Bridge- 
water. He died in April, 1869. Franklyn Southworth (son 
of Marcus, fourth son of John) lives on the old homestead.. 
John had nine children of whom Normandie was the eldest*. 
Normandie left Bridgewater at the age of 27 years. 

William Newell, second son of John, was born September 
16th, 1823. He was supervisor of the town for several years,, 
and was a staunch Democrat. Mr. Southworth was a man of" 
keen intellect and posted on all the subjects of the day. A 
niece of his tells as a little incident which came to her mind of’ 
distinctly remembering watching her uncle and Nathaniel! 


84 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


Tompkins play back gammon seventy-four games in succession 
and when they stopped to eat supper she hid the board. Mr. 
Southworth never married. He died at the old homestead 
February 26, 1899. In this book will be found a sketch of the 
Center church, containing most interesting history and written 
in his natural style. 

BROCKWAY FAMILY 

Mr. and Mrs. Albert Brockway, grandparents of Mr. Albert 
Parkhurst of North Bridgewater, were early settlers at that 
place. On the occasion of their Golden Wedding anniversary 
July 6th, 1876, a few facts appeared relative to the Brockway 
family and is contained in the following interesting sketch: 

“Mr. Albert Brockway, when a boy of sixteen, shouldered 
his pack containing his all in the town of Saybrook, Connecticut 
and came on foot and alone to Bridgewater where he has ever 
since made his permanent home. Here he settled among the 
pioneers of the town and probably no person now living in town 
Is better or more personally acquainted with its earliest history. 

1 i Almost every farmer in this county and state feels inter¬ 
ested in the welfare of Mr. Brockway as he has been one of the 
most useful inventors of our county. By his mechanical quali¬ 
fications all are being benefitted more than himself, as he never 
had the benefit of a patent. Farmers, stop and think while you 
are gathering your new-mown hay with Brockway’s revolving 
Iiay-rake, that he is an old man of eighty, still able to manufac¬ 
ture with his own hands, one of the simplest and most useful 
implements in your occupation. Perhaps Bridgewater can’t 
boast of a greater merchanic than he has been and is at the 
present writing. He still retains all of his {lower of mechanical 
genius.” 

Albert Brockway died in March, 1885, aged 88 years. 

Mrs. Henry Robinson (youngest daughter of Albert Brock¬ 
way) and her husband now own and occupy the old Brockway 
homestead place, known as Brockway ’s saw mill. 

PALMER FAMILY 

The Palmer family has been identified with the town of 
.Bridgewater from its first inception. Among its very earliest 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


85 


settlers were Elias Palmer and wife Keturak Randall wlio 
came to his country by ox-team from Stonington, Conn. Their 
children were ten in number, two of whom remained in Bridge- 
water : George W. who married Belinda Loomis, their children 
being Lelia B. and Nettie A. Later in life Mr. Palmer married 
Lucy Guller who now resides in North Bridgewater with Lelia 
B. Palmer. Nettie A. married Iiosea W. Palmer and now 
resides in Chicago. The youngest of these ten children was 
Lorenia A. who married C. Orlando Palmer, their children being 
Herbert E. and Jennie F. Herbert E. married Rosamond 
Brown, their only child being Ruth L., at present a teacher in 
Palmyra High School. Later Mr. Palmer married Alice V. 
Mather with whom he now lives in the village of Bridgewater. 
Jennie F. married Frank S. Tower and now resides in Geneva, 
N. Y. 

Herbert E. Palmer is a figure well known to all in and about 
the town of Bridgewater. Joining the Masonic Fraternity 
early in life he has been exceptionally honored by the order, 
having been a Master of Western Star many terms, and later 
elected by the Grand Lodge District Deputy Grand Master for 
the 26th Masonic district. Mr. Palmer is an active Democrat 
and has served as postmaster under Cleveland, has been super¬ 
visor, served on county equalization board, been a member of 
the school board and at present is president of the village. 

MARSH FAMILY 

Deacon James Marsh came to Bridgewater from New Hart¬ 
ford, Conn., before 1800. Luke E. was born October 20, 1810. 
His son, William C. Marsh born December 11, 1848 married 
Elizabeth Bostwick. Their children are: Harry and Willard, 
Harry Luke (who is vice-president of the First National Bank 
of Crookston, Minn., married Annie Miller of Crookston, Minn. 
They have two children: Elizabeth Miller, aged 7 years, and 
Albert William, aged 1 year). Willard Bostwick is an in¬ 
structor in Hamilton College. 

BOSTWICK FAMILY 

Levi Bostwick came to Bridgewater prior to 1800. He 
married Nancy Ives (a sister of Jesse Ives) who came from 


86 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


Connecticut on horseback following a line of marked trees. Mr. 
Bostwick built the present Hibbard House. Levi Willard Bost- 
wick was born in Bridgewater and spent his life in this town. 
He had two sons and one daughter: Charles Frederick Bost¬ 
wick, John Mott Bostwick and Elizabeth Bostwick. Elizabeth 
married Wm. C. Marsh and the two sons, Harry and Willard 
mentioned in the Marsh descendants are also the representa¬ 
tives of the Bostwick family. 

PERKINS FAMILY 

Allen M. Perkins came to Bridgewater in the year 1856. 
He had been engaged in the wholesale business in Utica, and 
opened a large general store on the corner where the Masonic 
Building and Rising’s store is, including the whole corner. A 
year later the entire corner was swept by fire, and he next en¬ 
gaged in business where the cottage hotel is now located, where 
he remained till 1870. He then removed to Utica where he was 
engaged in business on South Street for some years. Later he 
returned to Bridgewater where he spent his remaining years. 

Mr. Perkins was a man of public spirit and was a leader in 
securing sidewalks for the village. He was also the leading 
spirit of Methodism in the community and the Methodist 
church (the old Union church) was built largely through his 
enterprise and perseverance. 

Mr. Perkins was born in Coventry, Conn., in 1813 and died 
in Bridgewater in 1895. He was the son of a Baptist minister, 
Ransom Perkins. He married Julia Robertson of Manchester, 
Conn. Mrs. Perkins was born in 1809 and died in Bridgewater 
in 1896. They had three children, Ransom, who enlisted in the 
Fifth New York Cavalry for the Civil War as a Corporal and 
was mustered out a Captain, died at Canton, Ill., in May, 1912, 
where he went after the war. The two daughters are Jane L. 
Tompkins, widow of the late N. H. Tompkins of Whitesboro, 
and Antonette, wife of Charles W. Stoddard of Bridgewater. 
Their two children, Ralph and Florence, represent the early 
Perkins family as well as the Stoddard. 

STODDARD FAMILY 

Sherman Stoddard came to Bridgewater in the early 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


87 


Forties. He was born in Madison, Madison County, March 25, 
1819. In 1843 he married Julia Ann Teator of Bridgewater, 
who died October 7, 1901. Mr. Sotddard died April 12, 1902. 
He was a carpenter by trade. They had four children: Helen 
May, died in childhood; Julia Maria, born March 8, 1844, died 
November 17, 1897; Herbert, now resides in Flushing, Long 
Island; Theodore Henry, born December 19, 1852, and died 
November 8, 1913. 

Charles W. Stoddard, the only survivor now living in 
Bridgewater, has been identified with the interests of the vil¬ 
lage all his life. He has had an intimate knowledge of men and 
affairs and his great memory has furnished us a lead to many 
of the important facts contained in this volume and has con¬ 
firmed many others. 

Charles married Antonette Perkins and their two children 
are Ralph and Florence. 

PARKHURST FAMILY 

Gould H. Parkhurst’s ancestors on the paternal side came 
to America from England in 1659. There were three brothers 
who settled in Connecticut and Rhode Island, and of their 
posterity eleven took part in the Revolutionary War. Noah 
Parkhurst, who was the first to fire his musket at Concord 
Bridge, was his great uncle. Mr. Parkhurst’s father, Gould T. 
Parkhurst, moved from Plainfield, Windham county, Connecti¬ 
cut, to the town of Winfield, Herkimer county, by wagon in 1809. 
Mis mother was of French Huguenot descent. Mr. Parkhurst 
received a good education and spent most of his life in the town 
of Bridgewater. At one time he was quite a prosperous 
farmer. He represented the town in the Board of Supervisors 
in 1875 and was elected Justice of the Peace in 1878, a position 
which he held for some time. In politics he was a Democrat 
and for several terms he filled the office of Justice of Sessions. 

Gould T. Parkhurst and Hannah Healy were married April 
20, 1809 and came from Connecticut that year and settled in 
Chepachet, town of Winfield. Gould H. was born March 27th, 
1820. From Winfield they moved to Herkimer and there kept 
hotel and about 1830-1840 they came to Babcock Hill and con¬ 
ducted the hotel in what is now the Lemuel Tripp house. After 


88 


^TSTOKICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


this they moved to North Bridgewater and conducted the North 
Bridgewater hotel up to about 1853. On March 15,1849, Gould 
H. Parkhurst married Hannah M. Brockway, to whom were 
born five children: Albert H., Charles M., Clara L., Katie 
Belle, and Helen M. Hannah M., wife of Gould H. Parkhurst, 
died February 17th, 1878. Mr. Parkhurst died June 4th, 1897. 
He gave all liis children a good education and one son, who 
graduated from Hamilton College, died in Duluth. Of five chil¬ 
dren but one survives, Albert II. of North Bridgewater, with 
whom the father spent the closing years of his life. Justice 
Parkhurst was a man of high character and greatly esteemed by 
all who knew him. On other pages are found his sketches of the 
early life and activities of Bridgewater and much credit is due 
him for his painstaking efforts in preserving these records. 

FOOTE FAMILY 

Epaphroditus Foote married Annie Goodwin, the widow of 
Joel Ives, for his fourth wife. Their five children were Sophie, 
Joel, Emeline, Leonard, Rufus. Sophie married a Hall and one 
son, Joel, was born to them. Joel died at six years of age. 
Emeline married an Inglehart and they had three children, 
Hiram, Rufus and Sophie. Leonard married Hannah Clark 
and their three children were Mary (Dickson), George and 
Frederick. Rufus married Emily Hall and one son, William, 
was born. George Foote had one daughter, Anna, who married 
Earl Rising and they have one daughter, Gladys. Josephine 
Foote was the only daughter of William Foote and she married 
William Rowland and they have one daughter, Ethel. 

CRANDALL FAMILY 

Peter B. Crandall was one of the prominent men of the 
town of Bridgewater. He was born July 1, 1816 and was edu¬ 
cated in Bridgewater and Cazenovia Seminary. For a time he 
taught school. He married Eunice Carter Priest in 1844. 
They built the P. B. Crandall house which is now standing on 
East street and was built in 1852 and 1853. For some years 
they ran their farm most successfully, but Mr. Crandall was 
often sought for in public office and was school commissioner 
for two terms. He was Captain and Provost-Marshal of the 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


89 


21st District in 1865. They had four children which were horn 
in Bridgewater at their farm home. Kirk Peter was born in 
1846 and died April 5, 1910. He was a civil engineer, being 
educated at Hamilton College. He was city engineer for many 
years of Ithaca. He was an extensive traveler and graduated 
in 1869 from Hamilton College. 

Charles Lee Crandall born in 1850. He attended school at 
West Winfield, Whitestown Seminary and graduated from Cor¬ 
nell University in 1872. Since that time he has been Professor 
of Railroad Engineering in the University. 

Lucy Ella Crandall was born in 1853, was educated at Cor¬ 
nell. She married a Brazilian, Pedro de Mello, in 1879. Since 
time she has made her home in Brazil. 

Clayton L. Crandall was born in 1858. He, too, graduated 
from Cornell and spent his life in Ithaca. He is a fruit and 
vegetable gardner. 

Peter B. Crandall and family moved to Ithaca in the spring 
of 1868. Mr. P. B. Crandall was Supervisor of the town two 
terms. 

WOODWORTH FAMILY 

The first mention of the name of Woodworth in this coun¬ 
try is found in the records of the town of Scituate, Mass. 
There has been no discovery of a Woodworth in any of the 
early settlements of this country prior to Walter Woodworth of 
Scituate. He came from Kent, England, about 1628. 

Samuel Woodworth was a direct descendant from Walter 
Woodworth in the fourth generation, and was the earliest set¬ 
tler of the Woodworth family in Bridgewater. He was born in 
Norwich, Conn., June 25, 1771, was married June 12, 1/90, 
moved to Columbia, Herkimer County in 1794 and to Bridge- 
water about 1813. 

He was elected a member of Assembly in 1825. He died 
October 10, 1830. 

Isaac Woodworth was the eldest son of Samuel Wood- 
worth and was born in Bosworth, Conn., April 13, 1791. He 
came to Columbia, Herkimer County, with his father, Samuel, 
in 1794, and remained there until about 1821 when he removed 
to Bridgewater. Isaac and his father carried on a general 


90 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


merchandise store, bought and packed pork and cheese, and 
other country produce for shipment, when the only transporta¬ 
tion facilities to and from Albany were with wagons. 

He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and was quarter¬ 
master at Sacketts Harbor. He was appointed by Governor 
Daniel D. Tompkins justice of the Peace before he was 21 years 
old. He was twice married and was the father of eleven chil¬ 
dren, Augusta, Samuel, Wallace, Elvira, Ephraim, Chauncey, 
Granville, Harriet, Kate, Caroline and Charles. 

Isaac Woodworth died in Rochester, Minn., May 11, 1870. 
His remains were brought to Bridgewater and buried in Fair- 
view Cemetery. 

Charles DeWolf, the youngest child of Isaac Woodworth, 
was born in Bridgewater, December 7, 1840, and has lived in 
this town all his life except for 13 years which he spent in the 
adjoining town of Brookfield. He has served in the capacity of 
Supervisor and Postmaster, and has always been interested in 
whatever has been for the best interests of the town or village. 
He was married October 25,1869, to Kate Langworthy, and has 
no children. He is now hale and hearty and the last of the 
Woodworths in this vicinity. 

BROWN FAMILY 

Eleazer Brown came from Stonington, Connecticut, to 
Brookfield in 1774. He married Edith Palmer. Their chil¬ 
dren were: A. W. Brown, Prentice Brown. Prentice Brown 
was a blacksmith by trade and built the old blacksmith shop 
that was used by “Broker Jones’’ and stood by the little brook 
by East Street. He also built the two houses standing next 
to it, the one in which George Tripp lives and also the Claude 
Wilkinson house. He was off on the west hills burning a coal 
pit to make charcoal to use in the blacksmith shop, as soft coal 
was not known then, and he heard the sound of firing, etc. 
When he told his friends they laughed but it was learned later 
that there was a battle at Sacket’s Harbor and he did really 
hear the cannons. He moved from Bridgewater to Hackley 
Street. Prentice Brown had two children, William Leroy, who 
married M. Angeline Wood; William Henry who married Han¬ 
nah Penny and Alonzo Brown, who married Lizzie W. Dorland. 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


91 


William Henry Brown has four children: Dr. Charles Brown, 
(whose children are Alfred and Elinor) Myron, May and 
Grace. Alonzo Brown has three children: Walter M. 
and their one child is named Ella A.; Claude E. married Lillian 
Wing and their son ’s name is Russell W.; William D. married 
Florence E. Howard and their son’s name is Howard D. 


92 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


SKETCHES 


TWO REVOLUTIONARY MAJORS 

Among the early settlers of the town were two men who 
distinguished themselves in American Revolution: Major 
Anthony Rhodes and Major Lorin Robbins, both natives of 
Connecticut. The former was the father of Squire Avery 
Rhodes, a prominent farmer and citizen of the town and grand¬ 
father of Judge A. L. Rhodes, an account of whose career is 
given on another page. The remains of Major Rhodes lie on 
the farm where he lived at Babcock Hill. He died in his 84th 
year. Major Lorin Robbins was held in high esteem by his 
neighbors. He left a family of ten sons and two daughters. 
One daughter became the wife of Martin Babcock; the other 
the wife of James Avery Rhodes. A tomb stone, bearing his 
name, stands in Fair View Cemetery. He did in his 89th year. 


WILLIAM CROFT RUGER 

William Croft Ruger was born in Bridgewater in 1824, the 
son of John Ruger, one of the prominent lawyers in the early 
history of the town. We get a glimpse of the nature of 'Squire 
Ruger by a story told by Dr. H. P. Whitford to the effect that 
Ruger was called upon by a resident of Madison county to de¬ 
fend him in some litigation. The lawyer was very conscien¬ 
tious, and his acceptance of a case was often based upon the 
amount of moral force revealed in his client in relating his side 
of the case, or in telling his story. In this particular case 
'Squire Ruger was particularly moved over the injustice done 
his client, according to his own story, and asked him if he was 
certain that facts were as he had related them to him. His 
client affirmed that they were. 4 'All right," said Mr. Ruger, 
"you go back and join issue and when the case is ready for trial 




HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 93? 

T will appear.” He thoroughly prepared his case, and ap¬ 
peared on the day stated for his client. As the complainant 
was sworn, he objected to a line of questioning, and held the 
witness on the stand all morning without answering a question* 
and the case got no farther as the plaintiff gave it up in disgust, 
and withdrew his suit. 

His son, William Croft, inherited the mind and powers of 
his father and rising in the legal profession step by step he was 
appointed in 1882 to the chair of Chief Justice of the Court of 
Appeals. On his death in 1892 Governor Roswell P. Flower 
in his Special Message to the Assembly gives the following high 
tribute to his name and career, which furnishes a splendid 
sketch of one of Bridgewater’s honored sons: 

“It is my sad duty to announce to the Legislature the death 
on Thursday last at his home in Syracuse of William C. Huger, 
the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals. So short was the 
period of his illness that the news of his death came with shock 
to the people of the state and the sense of public loss in his de¬ 
parture is general and profound. 

“He gave the ripest years of his life to the service of the 
state. Born in 1824, thoroughly schooled by an active and suc¬ 
cessful practice of thirty-seven years in the law he was elected 
in 1882 at the age of fifty-eight to the highest judicial office 
within the gift of the state. In that distinguished office lie fitly 
rounded out the period of a well spent life and splendidly sup¬ 
plemented as a judge the well-earned fame which had previously 
made him one of the foremost lawyers at the bar. His knowl¬ 
edge of the law, the rugged honesty of his convictions, his 
dignity, independence and great ability gave him universal, 
respect among lawyers, as among the people. His judicial 
opinions have been substantial contributions to our jurispru¬ 
dence, and the fearlessness which often accompanied their de¬ 
liverance always challenged general admiration. 

“His character was that of the best type of judge, stead¬ 
fastly upright in private life, clear in his convictions of justice 
and tenacious in their defense, never swayed by popular clamor 
from his own conception of duty. The unusual distinction 
which he attained was the just recognition of distinguished 
abailities and the earnest purpose and his public career has-.. 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


^4 

won for him an enviable place in the history of the state. 

“At this time of the people’s mourning, which has ceased 
not with the dead jurist’s burial, it is fitting that the Legisla¬ 
ture should manifest in appropriate manner their recognition 
of Judge Ruger’s eminent public services. I, therefore, recom¬ 
mend such action on the part of your honorable body as may 
fittingly record the esteem and respect in which he was held by 
the people and express in generous degree the widespread 
feeling of appreciation of his earnest fidelity to a great public 
'.trust. 

“Roswell P. Flower.” 


AUGUSTUS L. ERODES 

Bridgewater is proud to claim among her honored men the 
noted judge who rose to the high ranks in the legal and political 
world. In commemoration of this 91st birthday the San Jose 
fCalifornia) Mercury dated May 25, 1911, paid him a high 
tribute and parts of the article are quoted below to convey in 
a small way the love and esteem in which he has ever been held: 

“A. L. Rhodes, pioneer jurist of Santa Clara county, hon¬ 
ored and beloved by all who know him today celebrates with 
neither pomp nor ceremony his 91st birthday. Yesterday he 
completed the 90th round in life’s fateful course and despite the 
weight of four score and ten years, he is still as active, virile 
and energetic in body and mind as ever. Tall, spare, com¬ 
manding Father Time has shown great kindness to the aged 
jurist in the gentle tracery of gray with which his fleeting 
fingers have touched with honor the brow that has so nobly won 
its honors. None the less the astute Judge, he was also none 
the less gracious, cultured and kind gentleman as he accorded 
to The Mercury the exceptional privilege of recording a brief 
-sketch of the life of one of the most exceptional men who have 
-ever graced the bench of California, for Judge Rhodes came to 
the Golden State when his history was still in the embryotic 
making. That he has .contributed much to her glory as a State 
that he has loved these many years, with the ardency of youth, 
the section which he has so long made his home; that he still 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


951 


looks upon her future with wonderful clairvoyance and a pre¬ 
cision of reasoning power which even relentless age cannot 
obscure in any haze of failing faculties, may be seen from the.- 
clear, precise and concise statements which follow in almost the 
exact language of the narrator in the recital of a few of the 
guiding incidents of a long and virtuous history. 

“This faculty of sane reasoning and omnipresent mental 
poise is, according to Judge Rhodes, merely a trait in his family 
tree, for his father, who died at the old homestead when he has, 
attained almost the age of 96 and his grandfather and grand¬ 
mother, who respectively attained ages near that figure, re¬ 
tained all their highest reasoning powers to the very last. 

“The Mercury has no small pleasure in today presenting; 
to its readers some of the sidelights of that splendid life not vet 
fully run—that life which may be readily counted as one of the* 
foremost in California’s galaxy of eminent men and learned' 
jurists, for Judge Rhodes’ opinions and rulings bear the rare 
distinction of having seldom been reversed by a court of higher 
appeal. 

“Quiet, retiring, loving little ostentations, seeking not 
notoriety, it was difficult to make Judge Rhodes realize that the 
public has interest in his personality and his public life; but 
touching the chord of reminiscence with gentle hands he relaxed 
and told modestly of some of the episodes of his life which has; 
made indelible impress upon his memory and in which he be¬ 
lieved the public might find interest. 

“ ‘I was born on the 25th of May, 1821 in the town of 
Bridgewater, Oneida County, N. Y. In that county I attended 
the common schools and academies having commenced the study 
of Latin when I was 11 years of age and so continued until X 
entered Hamilton College in that county in 1837. ‘ I graduated 
with the same class in which I entered in 1841. I received the 
degree of LL.D. from this college in 1870. After graduation I 
passed three or four years in Virginia, Florida and Georgia and 
then emigrated to Indiana in 1846. In that year I was admitted 
to the bar, after having studied the textbooks of the law without 
the aid of law office, teacher or law school. I immediately 
entered into practice of my profession in Green County, Inch,, 
and continued until 1854, having been elected to one term 


96 HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 

District Attorney of the county. In that year, 1854, my family 
and myself with a company of friends crossed the plains with 
teams, I steering for Santa Clara County, Cal., where I soon got 
a home and have since lived. , 

‘ ‘ (Continuing with easy grace and ready flow of language, 
simply yet exquisitely expressed and deliberately uttered in 
clear, resonant tones, the Judge told in fascinating fashion of 
his judicial career in the new El Dorado, the land of promise, 
which had lured so many bold, brave men from the East to the 
setting sun.) 

‘‘ My health having been impaired by the malaria in Indi¬ 
ana, I supplemented the trip across the plains by living on a 
farm for a couple of years and in ’56 I came into the town of 
San Jose, began the practice of law and continued in practice 
until I was elected in 1863 as one of the Justices of the Supreme 
Court. Prior to that time I had been District Attorney of this 
county of Santa Clara and for one term of two years was State 
Senator, representing the counties of Alameda and Santa Clara. 

“ 4 My career upon the bench of the Supreme Court com¬ 
menced in January, 1864, having been elected as I have just 
.stated in 1863 at the same time with Judges Sanderson, Curry, 
Sawyer, and Shatter. Upon the alioting of the terms of the 
Judges who were first elected, I was a candidate for re-election 
and was re-elected the further term of 12 years. The Constitu¬ 
tion which was adopted in 1879 cut off four years of that term 
and left my term really eight years, making 16 years altogether 
upon the bench of the Supreme Court. After the expiration of 
my term of office I entered into the practice of my profession in 
San Francisco and so continued until I was appointed by Gov¬ 
ernor Gage in 1899 as Superior Judge to succeed Judge Kitt- 
redge recently deceased. I remained as such Judge, discharg¬ 
ing the duties of that office up to the time of resignation, the 
time of which I am not precisely sure, but I think it must have 
been three years ago.’ 

“ While Judge Rhodes has achieved much in the affairs of 
men being in addition to his legal distinction a Regent of the 
University of California for eight years, he has achieved yet 
more in the love and esteem of his family, daughter and grand¬ 
daughter, ministering with affectionate care and pardonable 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


97 


pride to their distinguished parent in his declining years, his 
wedded companion in life having already been called from his 
side.’ y 


STEPHEN MOULTON BABCOCK 

Stephen Moulton Babcock was born in the town of Bridge- 
water October 22d, 1843. He was the son of Peleg Brown and 
Cornelia Scott Babcock. His father was a prosperous farmer 
and was held in high esteem by his townsman, having been 
supervisor and at the time of his death, April 2d, 1857, a mem¬ 
ber of the New York State Legislature. It was the wish of his 
father that he should have a college education and with that in 
view he spent a term or two in the West Winfield Academy 
and finished his preparatory studies in Clinton Liberal Institute 
and in the fall following, entered Tufts College, from which he 
graduated four years later. His education up to this time had 
been along general lines and not specific. He turned his atten¬ 
tion to chemistry, spending a short time in Cornell University 
and later taking a two years ’ course in the University of Gottin¬ 
gen, Germany, from which he received the degree of Ph.D. 
Later Tuft’s College conferred the degree of LL.D. The 
Geneva Experimental Station, in looking for a chemist chose 
Dr. Babcock, which position he acceptably filled for a number 
of years. His services in connection with the station attracted 
the attention of the Wisconsin Agricultural College and the 
position of chemist was tendered him with an increased salary. 
A member of the Board of Control of the Geneva Experimental 
Station said, “ I shall miss the hearty laugh of the Doctor when 
I visit the station and I consider it a shame that the great state 
of New York could not retain the services of such a distin¬ 
guished chemist.” It might be well here to state that the 
Doctor thought the change would give him an added field of 
usefulness, w r hich was afterward demonstrated by the inven¬ 
tion of the Babcock Milk Test. 

The State of Wisconsin through its Governor and Legisla¬ 
ture in recognition of his services presented him with the 
largest bronze medal ever struck in England. The Test has 



98 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


done more to place dairying on a standard scientific basis than 
any other thing that has happened to it since man first began 
to squeeze milk out of the cow. Taking the world through 
among dairymen and distributors of milk the name of Babcock 
is a more familiar public word than Edison, Morse, Darwin or 
Whitney, all of whom are said to have changed history and 
thought. The perfection of this Test should be emphasized. 
It has never been improved. Without doubt Dr. Babcock could 
have patented his discovery and could it have been handled as 
other great discoveries have been, the people would have paid 
him high tribute until today he would have been classed with 
the world’s millionaires. Instead of this he has given this dis¬ 
covery to the world and in doing this he did a greater thing for 
humanity than when he perfected the test. 

He is still interested in the University that he has honored 
and honored him. ITe is greatly interested in his old home. 
He married in 1895 May Cornelia Crandall of Winfield. They 
are occasional visitors here and from their many friends re¬ 
ceive a most hearty welcome. 


DR. HIRAM PASCO WHITFORD 

Hiram Pasco Whitford was born in Canterbury, Conn., in 
1826. His father, William M. Whitford, was born on the same 
farm as Hiram Pasco. His mother’s maiden name was Lucetta 
Tillinghast. They moved to Schuyler, Herkimer County, N. Y., 
in 1830 and to Bridgewater, Oneida County, in March 1842. 
Hiram read medical books at home from the age of 12 to 16. 
In 1850 he married Melissa Harrington. She died ten years 
later. Two children were born, a son and a daughter, both 
of whom graduated in medicine at the Eclectic Medical College 
in Cincinnati, where their father graduated in 1860. The son, 
Elwin Pasco is now, 1914, practicing with his father in Bridge- 
water. Previous to entering the Eclectic College in Cincinnati, 
Dr. Hiram P. Whitford read medicine two years with Dr. Van 
Vleck, a German physician in Hamilton, N. Y., after which he 
took the burden of the home farm from his father’s shoulders 
for three years and entered college in 1859. Immediately after 
graduating in 1860 he began practicing in Bridgewater, where 



DR. HIRAM PASCO WHITFORD HERBERT E. PALMER 

























































































, 

1 








< 









































‘ 





















HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


99 


lie still is. In 1868 Dr. Wliitford was given up to die with tuber¬ 
culosis. But he simply would not die and set out to find a way 
to prevent it. On the theory that tuberculosis structure is com¬ 
posed of cells lacking in necessary elements he set out by a 
strict hygiene and an extra nutritious diet to build up these 
cells anew. He succeeded and after fifty years of the strenuous 
life of a country doctor is still enjoying life at 88 years of age. 


EMERSON M. WILLIS 

Emerson M. Willis, who served with high credit as district 
attorney and is now in the active practice of law at Utica, was 
born at Columbia, Herkimer County, New York, February 27, 
1874, a son of Marcus D. and Mary J. (McCormack) Willis. 
The Willis family came to America from England and Jane 
Lewis, the maternal grandmother, was a native of Wales. 
The grandparents on the paternal side were born in New York 
State. Grandfather John McCormack was in Virignia at the 
opening of the Civil War and was given thirty minutes in which 
to join the Confederacy or leave the community in which he was 
living, also leaving his property behind him. He came north 
and enlisted in the Union army in which he continued until the 
close of the war. He was captured and was for a time confined 
in a Confederate prison. After the expiration of his service he 
located at Waterville, New York, never returning to the south 
to reclaim his property. The father of our subject engaged in 
farming and for about thirty years past has made his home at 
Bridgewater. 

Emerson M. Willis was reared on a farm and received his 
preliminary education in the country schools. Having decided 
upon a professional career, he matriculated in the law depart¬ 
ment of Union University at Albany and was graduated with 
the degree of LL.B. in 1894. He then entered the office of 
Josiah Perry of Utica and in 1897 was admitted to the bar. 
He remained with Mr. Perry until 1898 when he was appointed 
attorney for the sheriff’s office, which position he held for 
nearly a year, but resigned to accept an appointment as assist¬ 
ant district attorney. He served in this capacity through two 



100 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


administrations and attracted such favorable attention that he 
was elected district attorney and assumed office January 1, 
1905, being re-elected in 1907. During his period of office he 
disposed of a number of important cases among which were the 
graft cases which ended in the imprisonment of several persons. 
Another case of unusual interest was that known as the Gulf 
Murder Mystery. Mr. Willis succeeded in ferreting out the 
guilty man and sending him to the electric chair. While in 
office Mr. Willis was especially noted for economy in admini¬ 
stration and expeditious trial of cases, two factors of great im¬ 
portance to taxpayers and to all who are interested in the ef¬ 
fective administration of public affairs. On the 1st of Janu¬ 
ary, 1905, Mr. Willis associated with J. DePeyster Lynch in the 
practice of law under the title of Lynch & Willis, now one of 
the leading law firms of Utica. Mr. Willis has had two recent 
calls from the people of Oneida County to serve in public office. 
The first request was that he should become a candidate for 
justice of the supreme court in 1909, while the other urged him 
to allow his name to be used as a candidate for congress in 1910. 
The petition in the latter instance was signed by more than 
three thousand voters. He was a candidate in 1901 before 
the convention in the Fifth Judicial District for justice of the 
supreme court and had the unanimous support of Oneida and 
Herkimer Counties, but owing to the fact that Oswego County 
was not represented on the bench the nomination was given to 
that county. Since he has respectfully resisted all efforts urg¬ 
ing him to re-enter public life. He is interested in a number of 
important cases now pending in the courts and possessing 
marked natural ability and a wide knowledge of law, is one of 
the leaders of the Oneida County bar. 

On the 28th of June, 1899, Mr. Willis was united in mar¬ 
riage to Miss Julia E. Penney, a daughter of Giles A. Penney, 
of Unadilla Forks. Two children have blessed this union: 
John D., who was born April 20, 1901, and Marjorie E., born 
March 28,1906. Mr. Willis is a stanch adherent of the Repub¬ 
lican party and is regarded as one of the most effective cam¬ 
paign speakers appearing upon the platform in this part of the 
state. He is clear and forcible in his utterance and has few 
superiors in carrying an argument to a logical conclusion. He 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


101 


is safe counselor and as a lawyer ranks with the best at the 
Oneida County bar. He has a host of friends who place im¬ 
plicit confidence in his judgment and integrity and prophesy 
for him a brilliant and highly successful future whether in 
public life or as a practitioner of law. 


102 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


THREE SCHOOL PRINCIPALS 


(Subjects of Illustrations) 

Three men who have made an impress at different periods 
on Bridgewater schools are Professors L. D. Browne, John 
Bayly Swinney and Earle Stanley Longee. 

Prof. L. D. Browne, the first principal of the Union School 
was educated in the select schools of Jordanville and at West 
Winfield Academy and Whitestown Seminary and began teach¬ 
ing at the age of seventeen. He first became principal of the 
Mohawk Graded School and Whitestown Union school. He 
als.o taught Newport High School ten years and two years a 
select school in Newport. He spent two years in Bridgewater 
Union School and for several years his pupils of that day have 
held a reunion each year. Miss Mary Murphy was the first 
Assistant at Bridgewater and she has since passed away. 
Since leaving Bridgewater, Mr. Browne has been associated 
with the New York Life Insurance Company of New York. 


Prof. John Bayly Swinney, the first principal of the High 
School, to whom great credit is due for the excellent work ac¬ 
complished during his management, came to Bridgewater from 
Syracuse University. After his work in Bridgewater he was 
superintendent of Schools in Springville, N. Y., for a term of 
two years. Soon after this he was employed at Wanamaker’s, 
New York, and at a later period was with the publishing house 
of Longman, Green & Company. Since this time he has been 
on the editorial staff of the Alexander Hamilton Institute of 
New York City. 


Prof. Earle Stanley Lougee, A. B., the present principal 
of the Union School, is a graduate of Syracuse University, 
Class of 1912. After graduating from there he was with Dodd, 
Mead & Company of New York for a short time and came to 
Bridgewater in December, 1912, where he has done excellent 
work in the upbuilding of the school. 




EARLE STANLEY LOUGEE 
Principal of Bridgewater School 


■n 

0) 


U 

n 

3 

o r 

«>-5" 

r*P 

o 

O O 03 
-A 03 o 

00 “5 ^ 
00 “ • < 

z 

n> m 

s 

a> 

r+ 

0> 


C 

3 

o’ 

3 




"0 

"5 

3 

O 

■D C- 


^ o 



Q. 
—* (Q 
CO O) 
O < 

r* 

CD 


03 03 
2 . > 
■< 


r 

< 

co 


iz 

3- m 

co ^ 

o 


3 " 

O 

o 




























HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


103 - 


FACTS AND OCCURRENCES 


THE MONROE TAVERN. 

Abraham Monroe was an early settler and kept a public 
house on the place owned in later years by John Tuekerman, 
now in possession of the Tuekerman family. 

This house is considerably over 100 years old, and was 
known as the Monroe Tavern, and continued as such until about 
1854. Regarding this historic house, Miss Bertha Tuekerman, 
the daughter of John Tuekerman, gives these few historic lines: 

“It had a large ball room, and my grandmother, Julia Ives, 
came here to a dance before she was married. The old fire¬ 
places and arched ceiling of the ball-room are preserved, though 
it has been made into a hall and two sleeping rooms. We have 
several articles of use in the household belonging to my grand¬ 
father and grandmother—a chair, a bureau, salver, cup and 
saucer, teapot, etc. ’ 9 


A CENTENARIAN 

November 4th, 1909, there began a three days’ celebration 
in her home of the 100th birthday of Mrs. Maria Brown Robin¬ 
son. Maria Brown was the eighth child of Asa and Lucy Dow 
Brown, pioneer settlers in the hills of Brookfield. Their father 
served in the Revolution. When she was nine years old they 
moved to a farm in Richfield. She came here in girlhood to 
attend the Academy, living with her sister, Mrs. Phinv Brewer 
or her uncle, Judge Oliver Brown, later and for many years 
partner with her brother, Benj. Brown, in the store at Unadilla 
Forks. 

She united with the Baptist church in Richfield in her 
sixteenth year, was a member of that church until her death, 
Jan 15, 1910, an unusual record of membership and the longest 
one known in that denomination. March 22, 1838 she married 
Joseph Robinson, from Kimbolton, England. They lived on a 
farm in Richfield. She was a true helpmeet of those days, pre¬ 
paring the wool and flax, spinning and weaving and making the- 




104 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


family clothing and household goods and doing all the household 
work, caring for and training the six sons and one daughter, 
always interested in whatever was for the good of her country 
or the community in which she lived and there is still a tradi¬ 
tion of how she always found time to help a sick neighbor. 

In 1872, leaving two of their sons on the farm, they moved 
to “Rest Knoll,” their home in the village of Richfield, where 
her doors swung with hospitable welcome. This was the 59th 
anniversary of their marriage, Joseph Robinson dving on 
March 22,1897. 

Their daughter, Lucy M. Robinson, came from Minnesota 
to make glad her mother’s last years. In her 90th year they 
took a three month’s pleasure trip to Minnesota. February 
22,1900, the home was destroyed by fire. They then purchased 
the house so long owned by David Wood and made their home 
in the village of her schooldays. She was a woman of great 
mental poise and physical energy, capable and helpful in every 
department of life, even in her last years retaining her wisdom 
and good judgment. 

She recovered from many severe sicknesses. In her 98th 
year for a long time unable to even move in bed—when she 
rallied with mind still strong she determined she would not be 
bed-ridden. With wonderful will power she regained the use 
of her limbs. Only those with her can realize how hard it was 
to revive those aged muscles to use again, but strong determina¬ 
tion did it and she was about the house until the day she died, 
often walking to some neighbor’s. She had always been a great 
reader and kept in touch with the times, reading the daily 
papers until the very last. Many who came to know her said 
they should always be so glad for they would no longer dread 
growing old themselves. 

The Sunday before Mrs. Robinson’s centennial birthday 
was celebrated as Old Folks’ Sunday in the Congregational 
church here, and she walked up to the front of the pulpit and in 
a strong, clear voice heard by everyone in the crowded church, 
she led the responsive reading. Every guest at her centennial 
celebration was presented a candle which they lighted from the 
tall one from the table where she presided, just as the light of 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OE BRIDGEWATER 


105 


her life, ever strong in its purpose, will shine on and on through 
all who knew her. 


“BEAR HUNTING” 

During the early settlement of the town an eight-year-old 
son of Ephraim Waldo was out playing in the woods one day 
when he discovered a young bear asleep by a log. This lad had 
inherited the adventurous spirit of the pioneer and being 
anxious to capture the prize the noislessly proceeded to an elm 
tree at a short distance, peeled off a piece of bark, and returned 
to the peaceful slumberer. Making a noose in the improvised 
lasso, he proceeded cautiously to the opposite side of the log 
and reaching over succeeded in fastening the cord around little 
‘‘Bruin’s” neck. He was a true backwoodsman and he knew 
that the old bear would be within close hearing distance and 
he accordingly tightened the noose to prevent his captive from 
uttering a cry. Having performed this feat he attempted to 
lead his captured prize home but found that he was very averse 
of being broken to a halter, but the lad persevered and had come 
upon the highway when Mother Bruin followed in close pursuit 
to reclaim her wanderer. Jesse Ives luckily happened to dis¬ 
cover the trio and getting his gun quickly disposed of the old 
bear and the lad reached home safely with his trophy. 


BILL OF SALE 


The following interesting document lias been preserved by L. R. 
Scott in its original form. It is written on heavy parchment, much 
discolored and creased by age and has the appearance of being 
charred. It has the old-time blood seal attached to witness and much 
of the writing is difficult to decipher but by close and persistent study 
the entire bill has been interpreted and brings to our attention the 
days of slavery in Bridgewater. 

KNOW ALL MEN by these presents That I, Peter Smith, 
of Utica, County of Oneida and State of New York, for and 
in consideration of Three Hundred and fifty Dollars to me in 
hand paid, at and before the sealing and delivery of these 
presents by Jesse Ives of Wliitestown, County and State afore¬ 
said, have bargained for and delivered and do by these presents 




106 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


bargain, sell and herewith deliver unto the said Jesse Ives, his 
Heirs and Assigns, three negro slaves, viz: One Negro Wom¬ 
an, named Diane, her male child about six years old, her female 
child about three years old, and also another female child said 
to be born free, agreeable to law, about eighteen months old. 

As witness my hand and seal at Utica, August 17th, eigh¬ 
teen hundred and one. 

NOTE—Between eleventh and twelfth lines the words “named 
Diane” were interlined before signed. 

PETER SMITH. 

WITNESS: Jeralimeel Ballou. 


“EXTRACT FROM A LETTER’’ 

The following excerpt was taken from a letter by J. M. Trow¬ 
bridge, written to the “Silver Leaf,” a small paper published in Bridge- 
water at the time. Mr. Trowbridge was a former physician of the 
town and lived in the W. C. Marsh house. It refers to the elm trees 
that border the walk and points out the age and growth of these 
lofty “sentinels.” 

Brooklyn, N. Y., February 14, 1894. 
Publishers of the Silver Leaf: 

The row of elms in front of our old homestead, as well as 
many other trees through the village were planted under the 
charter. The trees were planted as early as 1829 or 1830. 
* * * Our homestead by the big cherry tree was built in 

1822 or 1823. I was born in that house in April, 1824. My 
brother Aobert, three years older, was born in the frame build¬ 
ing standing on the south side of the turnpike a few feet west 
of the brick store building on the southwest corner of the cross¬ 
ing of the turnpike and the north and south road. It was 
known, I think, as the old Stoddard tavern Stand. These dates 
fix the age of the homestead building very closely. I think it 
dates from 1830. The row of elms were so young in 1831 or 
1832 that I, a boy of seven or eight, bent one of them to the 
ground and was badly scared for doing so by Tom Allen, son 
of Stephen Allen, who told me I would be put in jail for it. * * * 

Very truly yours, 

J. M. Trowbridge. 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


107 


RAILROADS 


D., L. <& W. RAILROAD 

Bridgewater has two railroads, the Richfield Branch of the 
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western and the Unadilla Valley. 
The former connects with the Utica Division of the Lackawanna 
at Richfield Junction and runs to Richfield Springs. 

The road was built from Richfield Junction to West Win¬ 
field in 1869, as the Utica and Unadilla Valley Railroad. In 
1870 it was leased by the Lackawanna, which corporation had 
acquired the portion running from Utica to Sherburne, under a 
lease for ninety-nine years, under which term the Company 
guaranteed the stockholders six per cent, interest. The follow¬ 
ing year, 1870, the Lackawanna continued the road to Richfield 
Springs. 

The office was opened in Bridgewater in 1869, a Mr. Gallup, 
an expert in railroad business being in charge, and instructing 
Newton Sholes, the first agent. Charles W. Stoddard was 
clerk under Clark M. Barden, when the office was opened. The 
paint in the station was not dry and the first day’s business had 
to be done in a box car. Later George E. Woodman became 
passenger ticket agent and Mr. Stoddard was freight agent. 

When the road was built the question of getting over the 
hill from the Sauquoit valley was an engineering problem. 
Some favored going over Paris Hill, but Civil Engineer Hunt 
said, “This road will be built for all time, and we may as well 
take the shortest way, and it will be no more expensive.” 

H. C. Miller is the present agent of the two railroads. 


UNADILLA VALLEY RAILROAD 

This line connects with the Richfield Branch of the Lacka¬ 
wanna at Bridgewater, and the New Berlin Branch of the 
Ontario & Western Railroad at New Berlin. It was opened 




108 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


at New Berlin, at which were present business men from Utica 
and other large commercial centers. 

The work was begun in 1889, and the honor of turning the 
first spade of earth, fell to the late N. N. Peirce of Bridgewater, 
whose interest in the project had been such as to promote gen¬ 
eral confidence in it in this section. Through a gentleman con¬ 
nected with the Babcock Company of Leonardsville Albert C. 
Couch of New York City, a professional promoter was inter¬ 
ested. The road passed through the various vicissitudes of 
all enterprises of the kind, and after reaching Leonardsville 
from New Berlin, work was held up several years. Finally it 
was built to Bridgewater in 1894 through the efforts of D. C. 
Vulver of New York. Sufficient capital to pay all the claims 
was lacking and it was sold at auction to Dr. L. R. Morris of 
New York City, the present owner. 

The first survey would have carried the road through the 
village right through the center of the Porter house and in the 
rear of the Penney residence, connecting with the Lackawanna 
near Herbert Palmer’s barn. The right of way was too ex¬ 
pensive for the promoters, and at the suggestion of a citizen 
of Bridgewater the survey for the present roadbed was made 
which right of way did not cost over $800. The other would 
have exceeded $10,000. 

The present officers are: Wirt Howe, General Manager, 
New York; R. D. Perkins, Superintendent, New Berlin; H. A. 
Brome, General Freight and Passenger Agent, New Berlin. 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


109 


LINE OF PROPERTY 

The original boundary lines known as “The Line of Prop¬ 
erty” touched the head streams of the Unadilla where they rise 
in the north-western part of Bridgewater. The history of this 
original boundary line is full of interest to those not familiar 
with the term. For a great many years the absence of a fixed 
boundary line between the Six Nations and their dependencies 
on the one side and the Colonies of Pennsylvania, Maryland, 
Virginia, New Jersey and New York on the other was the sub¬ 
ject of much controversy and contention. The outcome of this 
was the constant complaints from the Indians and encroach¬ 
ments from the whites and at every yearly meeting that the 
Indians held with the Governor at Albany this was the subject 
of a great share of their negotiations. A remedy had to be 
found and on Nov. 5,1768, a convention was held at Fort Stan- 
wix at which were present representatives from the colonies 
and from the Indian nations. A boundary line was settled and 
was as follows—It began at the mouth of the Tennessee (then 
Cherokee or Hoholiege) River, near the junction of the Ohio 
with the Mississippi, up along the south banks of the Ohio to 
Killamy, above Fort Pitt (now Pittsburg), to the west branch 
of the Susquehanna, across the Alleghany mountains to the east 
branch of the Susquehanna and up that branch to the Oswego 
river, then to the Delaware river and up the Delaware to 
a point opposite where the Tianaderha (The Unadilla) empties 
into the Susquehanna, then across to the west branch of the 
Unadilla and up this river to its head, then in a straight line to 
the junction of Canada Creek with Wood Creek at the west of 
the carrying place beyond Fort Stanwix. This was the 6 ‘ Line 
of Property” but that part of it from the head of the Unadilla 
in Bridgewater to Wood Creek is more generally known by that 
term than any of the other portions. Soon after this boundary 
was made the Patent of Coxeborough was granted which ex¬ 
tended the entire length of this part of the line and was bounded 
by it on the west. The tracts granted to this state by the Onei- 
das after the Revolution were bounded on the east by this “Line 


110 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


of Property” and this term has been used in subsequent con¬ 
veyances and many have wondered of the origin and singu¬ 
larity of it, but knew little of its history. Just at the foot of 
College hill in the village of Clinton a stone may be seen which 
was erected by the Class of 1887 of Hamilton College to mark 
this “Line of Property.” 


GLEANINGS 

Dr. Whitford built the first sidewalk in Bridgewater in 
1864. 

Miss Charlotte Ives had in her possession a gun which was 
used in the French war in 1755-60 and which also saw service 
during the Revolution. It was carried at the battle of Oriskany 
(August 6,1777) by Miss Ives’ great grandfather, the maternal 
grandfather of Jesse Ives. He was in that battle with his son 
and the latter fell over a stump or log and broke both his arms. 
This gun was also in use at the time of the burning of Danbury, 
Connecticut. 

In the winter of 1801-2 the smallpox broke out and numbers 
were afflicted with it. By-laws were adopted by the town board 
for devising means wherewith to check its progress and care 
for those who were sick. In 1804 this town, in common with 
many others, suffered from the effects of a malarial fever, 
which carried to their graves many of the settlers. 

Before the War Bridgewater was the center for a great 
many debates. The Fugitive Slave Law was especially dis¬ 
cussed. For three nights in succession it was debated at the old 
Academy. They then went to the North church and the debate 
was continued three whole days in succession. 

1843 was the last year for the annual General Training Day. 
Every able bodied man between 21 and 45 was served with a 
written notice to appear on a certain day armed and equipped 
according to law. The equipment was a gun, but if that was 
not available a stick would do. The day was spent in organiz¬ 
ing and drilling. The whole family attended and most of them 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


111 


carried tlieir dinner. The last Major General was 0. B. Brown. 
A cannon was kept in the village in a house of its own for use 
on these occasions. 

The last slave in Bridgewater was owned by Mr. Groves 
who lived in the Langworthy house. This slave was buried in 
the old cemetery back of the Congregational church. Most of 
the bodies were taken from this plot and moved to Fairview 
cemetery but it is claimed that the bones of this slave still 
rest there. 

A story is told of a Mr. Plainer who went to New York and 
purchased a slave and kept her for many years. Later becom¬ 
ing reduced financially he decided to sell her again and a deal 
was made with a lawyer and the human “chattel” was trans¬ 
ferred. The lawyer soon afterward discovered the woman to 
be blind in one eye and he accordingly sued Platner and exacted 
from him nearly all his means. 


112 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


CIVIC HISTORY 


TOWN OF BRIDGEWATER 


The town of Bridgewater has a population of 832 according 
to the census of 1910. It was formed from Sangerfield in 1797. 
Little of the early records are preserved that would throw light 
upon the intervening past. The following items are illuminat¬ 
ing concerning the method of selecting town officers in that 
early day: 

“Annual town-meeting opened in Bridgewater April 4, 
1797. Agreeable to a law in that case made and provided, the 
freeholders and inhabitants (qualified to vote for town officers) 
met at the house of Colonel Thomas Converse in Bridgewater. 

“Voted to choose town officers by ballot.” 

The following were the officers chosen, viz: Supervisor, 
Thomas Brown, Esq.; Town Clerk, Aaron Morse; Assessors, 
James Kinne, Esq., Eldad Corbit and William Morgan; Over¬ 
seers of the Poor, Ezra Parker, John W. Brown and Alexander 
Tackles; Road Commissioners, Levi Carpenter, Jr., Job Tyler 
and James Benham, Jr.; Constable, John Mitchell; School Com¬ 
missioners, Asher Flint, Thomas Brown, Esq., and Jonathan 
Porter; Collector, John Mitchell; Fence-Viewers, Ebenezer 
Barker, Joseph Moore and Abijah Babcock. 

The following pathmasters were then chosen for the dis¬ 
tricts in the same order as they are named, from one to twelve: 
Zerali Brown, Ebenezer Barker, Jonathan Condy, Jesse Hall, 
Asher Bull, Asher Flint, Joseph Gardiner, Jonathan Utley, Jr., 
Stephen Gordon, Elijah Thompson, Truman Blackman and 
Jesse Carpenter. 

The following have been Supervisors of Bridgewater since 
1798: 


1798-1800—James Kinne, Esq. 
1801-1802—Job Tyler 
1803 —Asher Flint 
1804-1806—Peabody Fitch 
1807-1813—Daniel Rindge 


1814 —Samuel Jones, Jr. 

1815-1817—Willard Crafts 
! 1818 —Oliver Brown 

11819-1821—Samuel Jones 
'1822 —Willard Crafts 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


113 


1823 —Sardius Denslow 

1824 —James A. Rhodes 
1825-1826—Sardius Denslow 

1827 —Willard Crafts 

1828 —Samuel Jones 

1829 —Peleg Brown 
1830-1831—Absalom L. Groves 
1832-1835—Laurens Hull 

1836 —Levi Carpenter 

1837 —Peleg Brown 

1838 —Theodore Page 

1839 —John F. Trowbridge 

1840 —James A. Rhodes 
1841-1842—Peleg Brown 
1843-1844—Oliver R. Babcock 

1845 —Oliver B. Brown 

1846 —Milton Converse 

1847 —John Southworth 

1848 —Everett Lewis 

1849 —Samuel DeWolf 

1850 —Elisha Baker 
1851-1854—Peleg B. Babcock 

1855 —Nehemiah N. Peirce 

1856 —Elisha B. Brown 

1857 —William N. Southworth 
1858-1860—Peter B. Crandall 
1861-1862—Albert A. Steele 


1863-1864—Milton Converse 
1865-1866—J. Jerome Budlong 
1867-1869—Nehemiah N. Peirce 
1870-1871—Albert N. Bort 
1872 —William Foote 

1873-1874—A. N. Bort 
1875 —Gould H. Parkhurst 

1875-1877—Newton Sholes 
1879-1880—William N. Southworth 
1881-1882—Nehemiah N. Peirce 
1883-1884—George W. Palmer 
1885 —Samuel Williams 

1886-1887—Davis S. Wood 
1888 —George N. Greenman 

1889-1890—Robert Williams 

1891 —Henry Robinson 

1892 —Charles D. Woodworth 
1893-1895—Henry Sorn 
1896-1898—William Walsh 

1898- 1899—Henry Sorn 

1899- 1901—Robt. J. Williams 
1901-1904—Frank E. Rowe 

1904- 1905—Herbert E. Palmer 

1905- 1909—Roy Peirce 
1909-1911—Wm. Walsh 
1911-1915—William H. Rowland 


THE VILLAGE 

Bridgewater, like most rural communities without indus¬ 
tries has suffered loss in population, owing to the centralization 
of industry and distribution of commodities. Its population 
now is 245. The village was incorporated in 1825, and was re¬ 
incorporated in 1897 under the General Village Law. One of 
the first ordinances after the village was reincorporated desig¬ 
nated the names of the various streets as follows: 

Main Street—All that portion of the Utica and New Berlin 
Plank Road from the old Cherry Valley Turnpike north. 

Unadilla Street—All that portion of the Utica and New 
Berlin Plank Road from the old Cherry Valley Turnpike south. 

State Street—All that part of the old Cherry Valley Turn¬ 
pike east of Main and Unadilla Street. 

West State Street—All that part of the Cherry Valley 
Turnpike west of Main and Unadilla Streets. 

Cottage Street—All that street from the D. L. & W. Rail¬ 
road west to the head of the street formerly called the “Lane.” 




114 


HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


Pleasant Street—All that street from the D. L. & W. Rail¬ 
road south to State street. 

Beaver Street—All that street from Unadilla Street west. 


BRIDGEWATER OF THE PRESENT 

The civic organization is maintained in the simplest way, so 
as not to be a burden to the taxpayers. Yet the charter pro¬ 
vides an easy method for the people of the village to make 
public improvements and levy taxes for the same when it is 
deemed necessary. 

The disastrous fire in September, 1913, led the taxpayers 
to vote to purchase two chemical engines, and a fire company 
was organized. Like all rural villages the spirit to make 
“Country life’’ pleasant and comfortable with modern conven¬ 
iences is taking hold of Bridgewater. The Trenton Falls 
Power Company is expected to extend its line through to West 
Winfield next Spring, and the village will take steps to provide 
street lighting and householders may avail themselves of the 
same. 

In 1914 the new state road from Utica to Winfield was 
completed giving a macadam highway of superior construction 
for Main and State Streets. Its proximity to Utica, its natural 
attractions, and inviting natural beauty will unite to facilitate 
the development of Bridgewater as an attractive rural residen¬ 
tial town. The spirit of enterprise is manifest among leading 
citizens who take pride in the old home town. Mr. Frederick P. 
Peirce of New York has always been interested in his native 
town, and other expatriated sons have an abiding interest here. 

The President of the village is Mr. Herbert E. Palmer, who 
is safely and sanely progressive. Mr. Palmer has the confi¬ 
dence of the people, and possesses a fair conception of what im¬ 
provements are needed and how to secure them at the least cost. 
The Trustees are in accord with him, and are anxious to make 
progress in developing the natural attractiveness of the village. 

The following are the village officials: President, Herbert 
E. Palmer; Trustees, E. D. Montgomery, C. H. Clark; Clerk, H. 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF BRIDGEWATER 


115 


C. Miller; Treasurer, H. C. Rogers; Collector, L. H. Belz; 
Street Commissioner, Milton Tripp. 

The Bridgewater Band is also an organization which de¬ 
serves special mention. Music is advocated in the development 
of country life, and the small towns are developing their musi¬ 
cians. Bridgewater has a creditable organization. 


BUSINESS PLACES 

Today the general stores of Bridgewater are of recognized 
standing by the people of the village and surrounding com¬ 
munity, carrying only lines of established quality. There are 
three of these: E. M. & H. 0. Rising; Henry C. Rogers, in 
whose store the post office and the telephone exchange are 
located; and W. G. Roberts. Henry Sorn is postmaster. C. H. 
Clark is the feed and coal merchant, and is located in the old 
Lackawanna station. Amenzo Cole, R. J. Wilkinson and 
Michael Kehoe are the village blacksmiths. L. H. Belz is the 
tonsorial artist. 

Bridgewater has two excellent hostelries, the Hibbard 
House, conducted by E. D. Montgomery, and the Cottage Hotel, 
conducted by Thomas Carney. 

The community relies upon the natural resources of the 
farm, and this rich dairying section has a ready market for the 
product of “Bossy” in New York city. The Rider Milk sta¬ 
tion ships milk in bulk over the Lackawanna and the Phenix 
Milk station controlled by the Borden Condensed Milk Company 
ships over the Unadilla Valley and the Ontario and Western to 
New York. 



INDEX 


Babcock Hill. 

Babcock, Stephen Moulton . . . 

Baptist Church. 

Bear Hunting. 

Bill of Sale. 

Bridgewater. 

Bridgewater, 1830-1835 .... 

Bridgewater, of Present .... 
Bridgewater, Village of ... . 

Buildings ........ 

Business Places. 

Centenarian, A. 

Church, Old Center. 

Churches ........ 

Civic History. 

Congregational Church .... 

D., L. & W. Railroad. 

Descendants. 

Early Settlement. 

Episcopal Church. 

Fraternities. 

Geographical and Geological 

Gleanings. 

Kismet Chapter, O. E. S. 

Letter, Extract from a . . . . 

Line of Property. 

Majors, Two Revolutionary . 

North Bridgewater. 

Pioneers. 

Principals, Three School .... 

Railroads. 

Rhodes, Augustus L. 

Ruger, William Croft. 

Schools. 

Settlement, Early. 

Settlers, Other (Bridgewater) . . 

Settlers, Other (North Bridgewater) 

Sketch, Historic. 

Sketches . 

Societies. 

Society of Friends. 

Stage Coach Days. 

Tavern, Monroe. 

Tavern, The Old. 

Town, Bridgewater. 

Unadilla Valley Grange .... 
Unadilla Valley Railroad .... 

Universalist Church. 

Various Industries. 

Western Star Lodge. 

Whitford, Dr. Hiram Pasco . . . 

Willis, Emerson M. 

Woman’s Art Club. 


35 

97 
55 

105 

105 
5 
9 

114 
113 

73 

115 
103 

43 

51 

112 

51 
107 

77 

5 

53 

5 ; 

5 

110 

60 

106 
109 

92 

27 

6 

102 

107 

94 

92 

65 

5 

8 

30 

13 

92 

57 

30 
69 

103 

31 
112 

61 

107 

52 
31 
57 

98 

99 
62 




























































I 


\ 















































